Filenews 25 April 2021
An alarm has been sounded at health authorities after a second case of the strain of the Indian coronavirus mutation was detected, this time in the centre of Athens. Experts monitor the patient, who is a Greek citizen, while tracing his contacts.
It is recalled that another case of this mutation had been detected in Patras. This one was a little different from the typical strain of the mutation and involved a Greek, with no travel history, who even did not even need to be hospitalized.
Scientists stress that existing vaccines also cover the Indian mutation, which is much more contagious, according to data available so far. Earlier today, speaking to ANT1, the Director of the 7th Pulmonary Clinic of The Salvation Hospital, Mina Gaga, said: "It does not appear that the Indian mutation is more dangerous, it seems to be more contagious, but no worse than the other strains of the coronavirus."
As he pointed out, "in hospitals we have virtually ceased to see vaccinated people, those vaccinated have no risk of death or serious illness. Vaccines have proven to be very effective and have few side effects that we can prevent, knowing the symptoms, if one in a million something happens."
Indeed, on Friday, at the health ministry's regular briefing on the coronavirus, assistant professor of Epidemiology and member of the expert committee, Gikas Magiorkinis, was asked about the Indian mutation, stressing that the global community is monitoring it, but added that there is no evidence that this strain is dangerous.
It is noted that the Indian variant of the coronavirus was first detected in Europe, Belgium, among a group of students who arrived this month from India in the country, via Paris Charles de Gaulle International Airport.
For the case of the Indian mutation in Patras, the EODY had announced on Friday:
A positive sample for SARS-CoV-2 with strain B.1.617, which is the predominant strain in India, was detected in the National Genomic Surveillance Network of the National Agency for Public Health (EODY).
It belongs to a man who lives in the city of Patras, who tested positive for PCR on 22/3. Symptoms have appeared in the patient since 16/3. The epidemiological investigation showed no travel history, no contact with any known confirmed case.
The case showed symptoms characteristic of the disease without the need for hospitalization. The clinical symptoms have completely escaped, its isolation has been completed and the EODY has started tracing and is in constant communication with him.
Strain B.1.617 is characterized by a series of mutations in the virus spike gene (Spike), including the combination of E484Q and L452R. However, the strain detected in our country does not carry the E484Q mutation, which is characterized as an escape mutation of the immune system.
The data so far from the phylogenetic analysis suggest that the B.1.617 strain detected without the E484Q mutation originated in the United States and specifically the state of California.
Source: eyenews/protothema.gr
