A new “double mutant” variant of the coronavirus has been detected from samples collected in India.
Officials are checking if the variant, where two mutations come together in the same virus, may be more infectious or less affected by vaccines.
Some 10,787 samples from 18 Indian states also showed up 771 cases of known variants – 736 of the UK, 34 of the South African and one Brazilian.
Are double mutants a worry? Smitha Mundasad, BBC health reporter
A “double mutant virus” – it’s a scary phrase. Breaking it down, the words suggests that Indian scientists have discovered two significant mutations – or changes – in different locations in a single variant of the virus.
That is not so surprising. Viruses mutate all the time but the questions that need answering are: does the presence of this double mutation change how the virus behaves? Will this variant be more infectious now, or cause more severe disease? And importantly, will current vaccines still work well against it?
Scientists will now be busy doing the detective work needed to find out the answers. Officials say because the proportion of tests that have come back with this double mutation is currently low, there is currently nothing to suggest this is behind the current surge in cases.
What is clear is that this double mutation, as different as it sounds, requires the same public health response. Increased testing, tracking of close contacts, the prompt isolation of cases, as well as masks and social distancing will all help. Reducing the pressure on India’s over-burdened healthcare system is key.
In terms of vaccines – so far, for many variants of concern around the world they have been shown to be effective, though sometimes less so when compared to the original viruses they were designed against. Scientists are confident that if needed, existing vaccines can be modified to target new mutations. (BBC)