ICMR: Strains not linked to surge in Covid cases

Punjab orders new restrictions on indoor, outdoor gatherings

Union health ministry officials have said that two mutated variant of SARSCoV-2 — N440K and E484Q — have been detected in Maharashtra and Kerala but there is no direct relation between the recent surge in

Covid-19 cases in these states and some others with the mutant virus strains.

Maharashtra and Kerala account for 75 per cent of total active Covid-19 cases in the country.

Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Gujarat are some other states that are also witnessing a surge in the cases.

Besides, people have also been detected with the South African and Brazilian strains of SARS-CoV-2 in India apart from the mutated UK variant.

Director General of ICMR, Dr Balram Bhargava, said that these two virus strains — N440K and E484Q — have been detected in other countries too and are not specific to India.

Moreover, they have been found earlier in some states in India.

The E484Q strain was earlier detected in four sequences in Maharashtra as early as March and July 2020.

The N440K mutation has been reported on 13 different occasions between May and September 2020 in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Assam.

“The current upsurge in Maharashtra cannot be attributed to the currently discussed point mutations,” Dr Bhargava said.

The spike in Coronavirus numbers in some states comes as 240 new strains of the virus have emerged across the country. Health ministry sources said that between 800 and 900 samples — from Maharashtra and Kerala — had been sent for genome sequencing in the past month. Samples for genome sequencing — to understand the complete genetics of the virus — have also been sought from Punjab and Bengaluru, where, in the past few days alone, two apartment complexes have been declared

containment zones and sealed. So far genome sequencing of nearly 6,000 samples have been completed.

Amid a spike in Coronavirus cases, a meeting was held at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Tuesday to review the pandemic situation.

Union home minister Amit Shah held a meeting and

directed multiple central agencies to monitor the situation on a daily basis in states where Covid-19 cases have started increasing again. India on Monday had 10,584 fresh cases and 78 deaths.

Meanwhile, the Punjab government on Tuesday ordered curbs on indoor and outdoor gatherings from March 1 and authorised Deputy