15 times more lethal variant of Wuhan’s Coronavirus found in parts of Southern India
The strain which is speculated to have originated in Andhra Pradesh is 15 times more lethal and infectious. Experts believe there is no need to panic as it will fade away soon.
India is setting a new record of Wuhan Virus cases being reported every day and became the second country in the world to pass the grim milestone of 20 million infections after the United States.
The bad news does not end here with the detection of a new variant called N440K or AP variant as it was first found there. Everything about this new variant is alarming; a shorter incubation period, the virus spreads more rapidly, is a lot deadlier. The said variant is 15 times more virulent and can cause reinfection.
The variant is closely related to the coronavirus lineage B.1.36 and had been linked to a spike in cases in several states of South India. The new variant has a shorter incubation period and the progress of the disease is much faster. Patients are reaching the hypoxia stage in 3-4 days which earlier used to take at least a week’s time.
The cytokine storm is occurring faster, patients may or may not respond to the treatment given. What is worrying is that younger patients having high immunity are too not being spared. An infected person can spread it to 4-5 persons within a short period of contact.
It has been found in 20 to 30 percent of the samples in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana indicating it may have spread to other states too. Odisha tightened its borders with Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to prevent it from spreading there. Data suggests an increase in the proportion of N440K variant in the months of March and April this year.
However, experts say there is no need to worry as the said variant will fade out soon. It is fast being replaced by two other variants — B.1.1.7 and B.1.617 in almost all southern states. The said variant was prevalent since last year and no concrete evidence is available to blame it for the surge in cases.
Divya Tej Sowpati, a scientist at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad said, ” When tested in cell culture studies, they appeared to spread quite quickly but that’s not how it always plays out in the real world. “
Principal Secretary (Health) Anil Kumar Singhal said, ” The samples in which the N440K variant was traced were given in last June and July itself and it is not the new variant that has caused the surge in Covid cases. On our side, we should not become panic-stricken by reports circulating on social media, instead, adhere to Covid Appropriate Behaviour and help in curtailing the spread of the virus. “
The whole scientific report can be read here.
