A double mutant virus variant: Should we worry?
New strain threatens to thwart containment efforts in the country
As India’s daily tally of Covid-19 infections surge by a record 200,000-plus cases for three consecutive days, public health experts worry that a new — possibly more virulent — coronavirus variant could be racing through the crowded nation.
The new variant, which has a so-called double mutation, is thought to be fuelling India’s deadlier new wave of infections. “This is a variant of interest we are following,” Maria Van Kerkhove, the World Health Organisation’s technical lead officer on Covid, told reporters Friday.
Here’s what we know so far:
How did the ‘double mutation’ variant emerge?
The new variant, called B.1.617, was initially detected in India with two mutations — the E484Q and L452R. It was first reported late last year by a scientist in India and more details were presented before the WHO on Monday, according to Van Kerkhove. India’s health ministry first acknowledged the presence of such a “double mutant” at the end of March, but has downplayed it since.
Is it causing the record surge in infections in India?
Genome sequencing indicates the variant as a possible culprit although the Indian government hasn’t confirmed it. The average prevalence of the variant surged to as high as 52 per cent of samples sequenced in April from almost nothing in January, according to website tracker outbreak. info, which uses data from global repository GISAID. In some
districts in Maharashtra state home to the nation’s financial hub Mumbai and epicenter of the current wave that’s currently under lockdown-like rules - the prevalence of this variant was more than 60 per cent, according to Anurag Agrawal, director of the state-run Council of Scientific and Industrial Research’s genomics institute that’s conducting sequencing. ”
Has it been found outside India?
This variant has been detected in at least 10 other countries, including the US, the UK, Australia and New Zealand, according to the situation report on outbreak.info. As of April 16, 408 sequences in the B.1.617 lineage have been detected of which 265 were found in India, the report shows. A surveillance report by the UK government said it has found 77 cases in England and Scotland so far.
Is it deadlier than other variants out there?
Researchers are still trying to figure that out. The features of the double mutant variant are under investigation, but the L452R mutation is well characterized in U.S studies, according to Agrawal. It increases viral transmission by around 20 per cent and reduces antibody efficacy by more than 50 per cent, he said. Globally, three worrisome variants that have so far emerged in the UK, South Africa and Brazil have caused particular concern. Studies suggest they are more contagious, and some evidence points to one of them being more deadly.
Do vaccines work against it?
It’s hard to know for sure without adequate data and research. India is testing whether the new variants, including the B.1.617, are capable of “immune escape or not,” according to ICMR’s Mukherjee. Immune escape refers to a pathogen’s ability to evade human bodies’ immunity response. This means antibodies created after vaccination or prior infection may not protect a person from getting infected.