'Double Mutation' Coronavirus Variant Turning World Upside Down; Know More About Its Impact In India

The new variant is termed as B.1.617, and was initially detected in India with two mutations -- the E484Q and L452R.

Coronavirus | Representative Image

As the cases of coronavirus are mounting each day in the country, there are concerns regarding a new - possibly more virulent – spreading at a much faster rate infecting more than 1.3 billion people.

With the existing medical infrastructure in question in several states, the new variant, which has a so-called double mutation, is seemed to be the reason behind the second wave of the viral disease, as per the Bloomberg report. 

READ: Jharkhand CM Reaches Out To Bangladesh For Remdesivir Amid Shortage

The cases are breaching its highest single-day tally each day making India the world’s second worst-hit country, surpassing Brazil again, and overburdening its hospitals and crematoriums.

So far, more than 14.5 million Covid cases have been registered with more than 175,600 people succumbing to the disease.

While the World Health Organization has called the variant of its interest. “This is a variant of interest we are following," said Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO technical lead officer on Covid, as per the report.

She mentioned that two of these mutations, seen in other variants around the world, are concerning. Kerkhove noted similarity with mutations that propels the transmission and also reduce neutralization, impacting the efficacy of the vaccines to curb them.

How Did The “Double Mutation" Variant Emerge?

The new strain raises more concerns because of its insidious nature and thereby hampering the containment efforts in India, despite tough measures being taken including the world’s largest lockdown last year.

The new variant is termed B.1.617 and was initially detected in India with two mutations -- the E484Q and L452R. The variant was first reported toward the end of last year by an Indian scientist and more details were presented before the WHO on Monday, according to Van Kerkhove.

It is a known fact that viruses mutate all the time, as part of evolutionary biology. In certain mutations the virus is weakened while others may make it stronger, enabling it to proliferate faster or cause more infections.

The double mutation has been found in other countries including Australia, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Namibia, New Zealand, Singapore, the UK, and the US as per the statement from the government on April 16. However, it didn't establish the higher transmissibility of this variant yet. 

As of April 16, 408 sequences in the B.1.617 lineage have been detected of which 265 were found in India, the government report stated.

If you go by the genome sequencing then the variant is behind this current surge in cases, although the government hasn’t confirmed it. 

Will Existing Vaccines Work Against It?

It’s still not sure to predict in the absence of adequate data and research. India is testing whether the new variants, including the B.1.617, are capable of “immune escape or not," as per the report. 

Immune escape is basically a pathogen’s ability to evade human bodies’ immunity response. 

India has already fast-tracked approval for foreign vaccines and these efforts are being undertaken to mitigate any risk if the shots seem less effective against this double mutation variant.