URL copied Indian strain of coronavirus spreads faster, but little evidence of it being more lethal: Experts
The Indian strain of the coronavirus carries higher transmissibility similar to the UK variant, but there is little evidence so far of it being more lethal than the original virus, experts have said. The B.1.617 variant of SARS-CoV2, also being called a double mutant or the Indian strain , has been found prevalent largely in Maharashtra and Delhi that have been severely hit by a devastating second wave of the pandemic.
In many cities in Maharashtra the worst-hit state in the country the B.1.617 variant was found in more than 50 per cent of samples on which genome sequencing was conducted, while the proportion of the UK variant was 28 per cent in the second week of March, Sujeet Singh, the Director of the National Centre for Disease Control, had said in a webinar on genome sequencing last week.
The Indian strain of the coronavirus carries higher transmissibility similar to the UK variant, but there is little evidence so far of it being more lethal than the original virus, experts have said. The B.1.617 variant of SARS-CoV2, also being called a double mutant or the Indian strain , has been found prevalent largely in Maharashtra and Delhi that have been severely hit by a devastating second wave of the pandemic. In many cities in Maharashtra the worst-hit state in the country the B.1.617 variant was found in more than 50 per cent of samples on which genome sequencing was conducted, while the proportion of the UK variant was 28 per cent in the second week of March, Sujeet Singh, the Director of the National Centre for Disease Control, had said in a webinar on genome sequencing last week.
Indian strain of coronavirus spreads faster, but little evidence of it being more lethal: Experts
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Last Updated: Apr 27, 2021, 05:16 PM IST
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Synopsis
The number of coronavirus cases has exploded in Delhi and Maharashtra over the last few weeks and crippled the healthcare sector. Several hospitals in Delhi have reported an acute shortage of medical oxygen and are scrambling to save the lives of patients.
Agencies
The third mutation P681R allows the virus to enter cells a little better. These are defining characteristics of the variant.
The Indian strain of the coronavirus carries higher transmissibility similar to the UK variant, but there is little evidence so far of it being more lethal than the original virus, experts have said. The B.1.617 variant of SARS-CoV2, also being called a double mutant or the Indian strain , has been found prevalent largely in Maharashtra and Delhi that have been severely hit by a devastating second wave of the pandemic.