New double mutation variant is fueling India’s deadlier new wave of COVID-19 cases
Published On: Monday, April 19, 2021 | By: Team KnowMyStock
The public health experts worry that a new -- possibly more virulent -- coronavirus variant could be racing through the Indian population. The new variant, which has a so-called double mutation, is thought to be fueling India’s deadlier new wave of cases that have made it the world’s second worst-hit country, surpassing Brazil again, and has already begun to overwhelm its hospitals and crematoriums. India has reported more than 14.5 million Covid cases so far and more than 175,600 fatalities. R“This is a variant of interest we are following,” Maria Van Kerkhove, the World Health Organization’s technical lead officer on Covid, told reporters Friday. “Having two of these mutations, which have been seen in other variants around the world, are concerning,” she said, adding that there was a similarity with mutations that increase transmission as well as reduce neutralization, possibly stunting the ability of vaccines to curb them.
The new strain underscores the insidious nature of viruses and threatens to thwart containment efforts in India, despite measures such as the world’s largest lockdown last year. An exploding outbreak in India risks undoing a hard-won victory over the pathogen for others, too, especially as this strain has now jumped to at least 10 other countries.
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 today, (19th April 2021) according to Van Kerkhove.
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