Covid-19 2nd wave surge due to variant first found in India
■ 1.32L new cases, 2,713 more deaths ■ SII gets nod to make Sputnik V
The surge of Covid-19 cases across India over the past two months shows a correlation with the rise in the B.1.617 variant of the SARS-CoV-2, according to INSACOG, a grouping of 10 national laboratories. April and May saw a deadly second wave of coronavirus cases that swept through the country, stretching the healthcare infrastructure to its limits.
According to INSACOG, the B.1.1.7 lineage of the virus, first identified in the United Kingdom, is declining in proportion across India in the last month and a half. The B.1.1.7 variant of the coronavirus has been named by WHO as “Alpha”.
The B.1.617 lineage of SARS CoV-2 was first reported from Maharashtra but it is now seen in other Indian states such as West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat and Telangana. “The current surge in cases seen over the last two months
in some states shows a correlation with the rise in the B.1.617 lineage of SARS CoV-2,” the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics said.
The B.1.617 lineage has further evolved into three sub-lineages: B.1.617.1, B.1.617.2 and B.1.617.3. Early data shows B.1.617.2, dubbed as “Delta” by WHO, has higher transmission advantages over the other two sub-lineages. B.1.617, initially termed as a double mutant, has three new spike protein mutations.
Two mutations — E484Q and L452R — are in the area important for antibody-based neutralisation. The third mutation — P681R in B.1.617 — along with the reversion of E484Q allows its sub-lineage to be more infectious. The World Health Organisation has termed it as a “Variant of Concern”.
INSACOG is a grouping of 10 national laboratories that was established by the Union health ministry on December 25 last year.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday hailed the nation’s scientific community for the “made in India” Covid vaccines in record time. Addressing a meeting of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Society, he reiterated his gratitude to doctors, medical staff, scientists, and corona warriors for the outstanding work done in adverse circumstances and said the country was indebted to them for saving so many lives.
The PM cited India’s experience in the last century to say it used to wait for years to lay its hands on innovations abroad, but its scientists were now working shoulder to shoulder with their counterparts outside. “They are working at the same quick pace,” he said.
The Drugs Controller General of India has, meanwhile, given permission to the Serum Institute of India to manufacture the Sputnik V vaccine in India for examination, test and analysis with certain conditions. Adar Poonawalla’s SII got permission from the drugs regulator on Friday to make Sputnik V, the Russian Covid-19 vaccine. SII will test, analyse and then manufacture the vaccine at its Pune plant, sources said. The test licence granted to SII means it can develop and manufacture the product for testing, but not sell it.
Mumbai-based pharma giant Wockhardt will begin its Covid-19 vaccine production in October 2021 and can manufacture 50 crore vaccine doses a year, its chairman, Dr Habil Khorakiwala, said. The company is said to be in “advanced stages of talks” for a deal on Covid19 medicines and vaccines. An announcement is likely in the next two to three weeks.
On Friday, India reported 1,32,364 new Covid-19 infections, taking the country’s tally to 2,85,74,350 cases, while the recovery rate crossed 93 per cent, according to the health ministry data. The death toll climbed to 3,40,702 with 2,713 more deaths, while active cases remained below 20 lakhs for the fourth consecutive day.
A total of 20,75,428 tests were conducted on Thursday, taking the total cumulative tests to 35,74,33,846. The daily positivity was recorded at 6.38 per cent. It has been less than 10 per cent for 11 consecutive days, the ministry said, adding that the weekly positivity rate has declined to 7.27 per cent. The active cases have fallen to 16,35,993, comprising 5.73 per cent of total infections, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate has improved to 93.08 per cent. A net decline of 77,420 cases was recorded in the Covid-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.
The 2,713 new fatalities include 643 from Maharashtra, 514 from Karnataka, 460 from Tamil Nadu, 153 from Kerala, 108 each from West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. A total of 3,40,702 deaths have been reported so far in the country, including 97,394 from Maharashtra, 30,531 from Karnataka, 25,665 from Tamil Nadu, 24,447 from Delhi, 20,895 from Uttar Pradesh, 15,921 from West Bengal, 14,840 from Punjab and 13,139 from Chhattisgarh.
The Centre is, meanwhile, yet to decide whether to offer legal safeguards to local manufacturers of Covid-19 vaccines, Dr Vinod Kumar Paul, a top adviser to the government, said on Friday.
India is vaccinating people with AstraZeneca jabs produced locally by SII (Covishield) and Covaxin, made by Hyderabad firm Bharat Biotech, and will commercially launch Russia’s Sputnik V shots by mid-June. Amid the nationwide vaccine crunch, US pharma giant Pfizer is seeking an indemnity bond to exempt it from legal claims if there are any adverse effects from the vaccine. Dr Paul, Niti Aayog’s member (health), had said on May 27 that the Centre was still examining Pfizer’s request for indemnity.