Triple Mutant of Corona Appears in India

  • Scientists are claiming that the recent surge in COVID-19 infections across India is because of the new Indian variant. 
  • Findings of the double mutant B.1.617 strain was first announced by the Health Ministry in March 2021. 
  • Scientists have found a third mutation in the variant now, making it a triple mutant strain. 
  • Variants of Concern (VOC) are mutated types of coronavirus, which can cause one among: increased transmission, a reduction in neutralising antibodies or Severe disease.

THE MUTANTS

  • The new “mutations” detected in December 2020 were: E484Q and L452R, 2 mutations occurred together in a single strain – hence “double mutant.
  • E484Q is similar to the British and South African variants. L452R is similar to the Californian variant.
  • Now, a third mutation (P614R) in the B.1.617 has been identified.
  • The new triple mutant could make the virus even more capable of evading human immune response.
ROLE OF GENOME SEQUENCING
  • Because both the mutations, E484Q and L425R, were located in the virus’s critical spike protein — that binds it to the receptor cells in the body, Its destructive potential should have raised immediate red flags and led to widespread gene surveillance to look for its prevalence and spread.
  • Instead, the genome sequencing exercise, already running at a snail’s pace, slowed down further between November and January, due to lack of funds, absence of clear directives, and, possibly, also disinterest because of the steadily falling Covid curve.
WHY GENOME SEQUENCE IS IMPORTANT?
  • Genome sequencing, the study of genetic structures of an organism and the changes happening therein, produces a wealth of information, 
  • This can throw light on the origins of the virus, the routes it has taken to reach a particular geography and the changes, or mutations, that are making the virus stronger or weaker. 
  • Such information is crucial not just in designing control measures, but also in the development of drugs and vaccines. 
  • In fact, the early availability of gene sequences from China, United States and some other countries is one key reason why a vaccine could be developed in such a record time.
GENOME SEQUENCING IN INDIA
  • In India, however, genome sequencing crawled – in the first six months, 
  • It was only in January this year that the government set up the Indian SARS-CoV2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) to expedite the gene sequencing effort from India through a network of 10 laboratories

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