Pan-India Covid studies see virus genetically stable: PMO

New Delhi, Oct. 17: As the work continues to develop an effective vaccine for Covid-19, the government on Saturday said two pan-India studies on the genome of the virus in India suggest it is genetically stable and has shown no major mutation.

There had been concerns in some quarters that any major mutation detected in the Coronavirus could hinder the development of an effective vaccine. However, some recent global studies have said the vaccines currently being developed for Covid19 should not be affected by recent mutations.

In cases, the new strains tend to be less effective and therefore die out soon, while more powerful strains may lead to faster spread of the virus.

After a review meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Covid situation, and vaccine delivery, distribution and administration preparedness, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement that three vaccines are in advanced stages of development in India, out of which two are in Phase II and one is in Phase-III.

The PMO further said, “Two pan-India studies on the Genome of SARS-CoV2 (Covid virus) in India conducted by ICMR and the Department of Biotechnology suggest that the virus is genetically stable and there is no major mutation in the virus.”