India Detects New COVID-19 Double Mutated Variant Strain

On Wednesday, the Indian Ministry of Health announced that it had detected a new double mutated Covid-19 variant strain and “variants of concern" in 18 states across India.

In a statement, the ministry said that it could not be sufficiently established yet if these variants were behind the recent spike in Covid-19 cases in some states.

The new double mutant variant was discovered by the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics (INSACOG) which has been carrying out genome sequencing on domestic samples and samples from international travelers.

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It pointed out that these mutations have been found in about 15-20 per cent of samples and do not match any previously catalogued VOCs.

"While the two mutations have been categorized as VOCs but require implementation of existing protocols of increased testing, comprehensive tracking, and prompt isolation as well as treatment," the statement read

The VOCs found in India as well as the new double mutant variant is not seen as the reason behind the rapid increase in Covid-19 cases in some states.

The ministry said that these variants have not been detected in numbers sufficient to establish a direct relationship with the surge in cases in India.

Genomic sequencing and epidemiological studies are continuing to further analyze the situation.