Genome sequence studies have shown “mild” mutations in the Covid-19 virus circulating in Kerala although scientists have not clarified yet how similar it is to the fast-spreading variant in Britain.

Kerala health minister K.K. Shailaja on Saturday told reporters that a research conducted by the health department has found that the coronavirus has undergone mutations in the state.

“We could see a mild mutation in the research conducted in Kozhikode… we are conducting similar research in every d0.istrict,” said Shailaja.

She said the mutant samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune and the results were awaited.

“Whatever it is, everyone needs to be very careful… some viruses could get less dangerous once they undergo mutation, but others could get more dangerous,” she said.

The discovery of the mutation came amid eight passengers who arrived from the UK testing positive for Covid-19.

“It is reported that the mutant virus found in Britain spreads very fast and is more contagious. Right now we have only these reports and no first hand experience. But scientists have urged extreme caution,” she said.

“We called a meeting to discuss the precautions to be followed the moment we got to know about the new strain in Britain and heightened vigilance at our four international airports,” she said.

As a precautionary measure the Kerala health department has also started monitoring all those who arrived from European countries shortly before Britain reported the mutation.

Scientists have underlined that the coronavirus has a tendency to develop mutations over time. The purpose of cataloguing mutations is to determine whether some mutations might affect the behaviour of the virus and whether they might impact vaccine efficacy.

The discovery of the “mild” mutation in the state came at a time when Kerala was bracing for an increase in the caseload as a direct aftermath of the recent local body polls.

Although the state government and the election commission had urged political parties and candidates to strictly follow safety guidelines in view of Covid-19, health authorities fear a considerable rise in new cases.

The first state to report a Covid-19 case in the country in January, Kerala has since had a full-blown second wave with daily cases going beyond the 10,000 mark on several days during September to October.

After winning accolades for flattening the curve, Kerala saw a steep spike after the Onam celebrations in August coupled with Opposition protests against the government on a slew of issues ranging from a gold smuggling in which a senior bureaucrat was later arrested.

The daily reported cases have since come down to around 5,000 with the state witnessing a slow recovery. The state reported 5,397 new cases and 4,506 recoveries on Friday taking the number of active cases to 64,028.