MUTATIONS OF CONCERN FOUND IN MAHARASHTRA, KERALA SAMPLES

NEW DELHI: Some mutations of the Sars-cov-2 that have been worrying scientists globally have arisen in India, according to top officials who said on Tuesday that E484K and N440K changes have been seen in samples taken from some people in Maharashtra and Kerala.

The numbers refer to changes in the pathogen’s proteins, which can tweak its structure. At least one of these changes, E484K, has been established to reduce the efficacy of vaccines and make immunity from a previous infection ineffective.

But officials added that it is yet to be established if these are behind the resurgence in the two states. “These two virus strains ...have been found earlier in some states in India,” said Dr Balram Bhargava of ICMR.

According to Niti Aayog member (health), the two mutations were picked up during routine genomic surveillance.