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Covid-19: Seven cases of Indian variant found in NI
By Louise Cullen of Covid-19 have been detected in Northern Ireland.
It is the first time it has been confirmed in the country but three cases were detected in the Republic of Ireland last month.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride said it was not unexpected.
He added: Confirmation of these cases does not mean this variant is going to become the most prevalent or the dominant strain in Northern Ireland. It does, however, highlight why caution is still essential in relation to Covid-19.
He said preventative measures such as travel restrictions were important, but would only delay rather than permanently prevent the spread of variants.
Indian Covid-19 variant detected in Northern Ireland Chief Medical Officer Michael McBride said plans are in place folllowing the discovery of the variant in the north. Picture by Liam McBurney. 06 May, 2021 16:22
The Department of Health has confirmed that the Indian variant of Covid-19 has been found in Northern Ireland.
In a statement released this afternoon, the department said it had been notified by the Public Health Agency (PHA) that seven cases of the B.1.617.2 variant had been detected in the north.
A health protection risk assessment is taking place as part of the public health response, as well as contact tracing.
These are the first confirmed cases of this India variant in the province. The Department of Health is working closely with the PHA and the Regional Virology Laboratory in relation to the investigation and assessment of these cases. Incident management protocols have been activated. A detailed health protection risk assessment will be part of the public health response, as will contact tracing. Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Michael McBride, said: “This news is not entirely unexpected and plans are in place for such an eventuality. “While preventative measures – including travel restrictions – are very important, the assessment is that these will delay rather than permanently prevent the spread of variants already detected elsewhere on these islands.
Recap as Indian Covid variant found in Northern Ireland
These are the first confirmed cases of this variant in the country, Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride said
Seven cases of the Indian coronavirus variant have been confirmed in Northern Ireland. The Department of Health said it had been notified by the Public Health Agency of seven confirmed cases of the VUI B.1.617.2 (India) Coronavirus variant in Northern Ireland.
These are the first confirmed cases of this variant in the province.
Incident management protocols have been activated. A detailed health protection risk assessment will be part of the public health response, as will contact tracing.