INDIAN VARIANT OF CORONAVIRUS

INDIAN VARIANT OF CORONAVIRUS

• Indian variant coded as B.1.617 has been categorised as Variant of Concern (VOC) by the World Health Organisation.

• Earlier, only  the U.K. variant (B.1.1.7), the South Africa variant (B.1.351) and the Brazilian variant (P2), were categorised as the variant of concern.

• Who declares them as VOC?  It is usually the health authority of the originating countries which declare them as variants of concern.

• Conditions for a pathogen be declared as VOC:

  • When the identified variant leads to increased transmission or 

  • When it is found to be associated with more severe disease or 

  • When it is found to be evading detection by diagnostic tests. 

• INSACOG, or the Indian SARS-CoV2 Genomic Consortia, had flagged an issue regarding a variant with two concerning mutations, E484Q and L452R, known as double mutant and triple mutant virus with additional mutation. They were found to be responsible for widespread transmission in Maharashtra.