Filenews 24 April 2021
The Indian mutation of coronavirus is characterized as dangerous as the British, Brazilian and South African. How much is it related to the recent rapid increase in cases in India?
Every virus like Covid-19 is aware of countless mutations in its spread to the population. Following the British, Brazilian and South African mutations, the Indian mutation is of particular concern, due to the recent sharp increase in cases of coronavirus in India, and today the first relevant case has been confirmed in our country. But how much does the mutation relate to the cases and how dangerous is it really?
The Indian mutation B.1.617
It was first spotted in India last October. Taking 361 coronavirus samples in the western Indian city of Maharashtra between last January and March, 220 contained the mutation. B.1.617 appears to have several sub-mutations, including E484Q and L452R, which is why it has been designated a "double mutation". The first of the two (E484) is described as as active and resilient as those of South Africa, Brazil and Britain.
To date, similar samples of the Indian mutation have been detected in 21 countries, according to the gisaid global database, while 103 cases in England have already been identified with the Indian mutation. A ban on flights to and from India has now been imposed in Britain, although the mutation does not cause concern to the country's top health authorities and has been described simply as a "mutation under investigation."
Why do we know so little about her?
According to reports by the BBC and Al Jazeera, India is attempting to combat coronavirus with a massive vaccination programme in its vast population, but so far data from Covid 19 samples across Indian territory are poorly classified: Only 656 samples of the mutation have been detected to date, while a record of 384,000 samples worldwide already exists from the British equivalent.
How dangerous is she?
The infectious disease and professor at the University of Louisiana, Jeremy Camille, tells the BBC that the Indian mutation can 'help the virus to overtake the antibiotic shield and infect the body.' But according to Camille, this mutation of the coronavirus does not look as dangerous as the British one that has already spread to 50 countries. He declares "we should not be panicked by the Indian mutation".
Is it linked to the new wave of coronavirus in India?
Since April 15, India has recorded more than 200,000 cases of coronavirus per day, and deaths have also increased dramatically. According to the Indian professor of microbiology at the University of Cambridge, the vast extent of the country and population density act as a perfect incubator for the development of coronavirus mutations. But the recent new wave seems to have come mainly from mass religious events involving thousands of Indians, without the use of means of protection and without social distancing. The country has avoided entering a strict lockdown in any way, so as not to put a brake on the domestic economy. The cases, it seems, will continue to break every record.
Source: eyenews/news247.gr
