10 Things To Know About The Indian Strain Of Coronavirus

The B.1.617 variant, also known as the Indian strain is a variant of the virus found during the second wave of COVID-19 in India. The predominant lineage of the double mutation variant was first identified in India in December 2020. An earlier version of the variant was first spotted on October 5, 2020.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) described the Indian strain as a “variant of interest” and suggested it may have mutations making it more transmissible. Disease modeller Chris Murray said that the spike in cases in India in a short period of time suggests that an “escape variant” is overpowering any prior immunity. Murray said that it is most likely due to the B.1.617 variant.

According to virologist Shahid Jameel, the B.1.617 variant contains two mutations to the outer spike portion of the virus that attaches to human cells. The two mutations carried by the B.1.617 variant are E484Q and L452R.

All You Need To Know About The B.1.617 Variant

1. The director of the National Centre for Disease Control Sujeet Kumar Singh said that it is widely present in Maharashtra. The B.1.617 variant was first reported in Maharashtra.
2. In March, the central government reported that 15-20 per cent of the samples in Maharashtra had the variant. By the end of April, Singh said that the variant was found in more than 50 per cent of the samples.
3. Immunologist Dr Vineeta Bal said that the vaccine progress should not be derailed from the Indian strain. She said that “Vaccinating yourself always puts you in an advantageous position against an infection, whether caused by the original virus or caused by the double mutant.
4. Anthony Fauci, White House chief medical advisor said that according to preliminary evidence from lab studies, the vaccine Covaxin appears to be capable of neutralising the variant.
5. Director of the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) Anurag Agrawal stated that both Covishield and Covaxin have efficacy against the Indian strain.
6. The WHO said that the B.1.6.17 variant has been found in at least 17 countries. It said that “As of 27 April, over 1,200 sequences have been uploaded to GISAID and assigned to lineage B.1.617 (collectively) from at least 17 countries”.
   
   The GISAID is a global science initiative and primary source. It provides open-access genomic data about the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19.
7. Most of the sequences were uploaded to the GISAID from India, United Kingdom, United States, and Singapore.
8. The WHO said that according to preliminary modelling based on the sequences submitted to GISAID, the B.1.617 variant has a higher growth rate than the other variants in India.
9. The WHO also reports that the B.1.617 variant comprises several sub-lineages including B.1.617.1, B.1.617.2, and B.1.617.3. These sub-lineages are slightly differed by their characteristic mutations.
10. 1.617 was first detected in India in October 2020, while B.1.617.1 and B.1.617.2 were detected in December 2020.