Coronavirus update | Two passengers from UK test positive for COVID-19 at Delhi airport

They were among the 256 passengers who reached the Indira Gandhi International Airport at 10.30 am on Air India's AI112 flight from London.

Moneycontrol News

January 08, 2021 / 22:38 IST

COVID-19 test at IGI airport. (PC-Reuters)

Two passengers who arrived in Delhi on a flight from the United Kingdom on January 8 have tested positive for COVID-19. They were among the 256 passengers who landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport at 10.30 am via Air India's AI112 flight from London.

The flight operations between the United Kingdom and India resumed on January 8, after a gap of 16 days due to the emergence of a new coronavirus variant in that country. The Indian government had suspended the passenger flight operations on December 23, 2020.

Chaos at Delhi's IGI airport as CM Kejriwal announces 7-day compulsory institutional quarantine for all UK returnees

Taking precautionary steps, the Union government has advised passengers to keep a gap of at least 10 hours between their arrival from the UK and the connecting flight to their cities.

Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri has clearly stated that 30 flights will operate every week - 15 each by Indian and UK carriers, and this restriction will stand till January 23, 2021. However, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal had urged the Centre to extend the passenger flights ban till January 31, citing 'extreamly serious' COVID-19 situation in Britain.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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