Highlights
- Double mutant variant has been found in some states in India
- Mutations is a common phenomenon in viruses: Experts
- The new variant has double mutations- E484Q and L452R
New Delhi: As the country has been facing another wave of the coronavirus pandemic with the number of cases rising every day, several new variants have been coming up of the virus, SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19. On Wednesday (March 24), the Ministry of Health and Family (MoHFW) said that the scientists who have been studying the genome (the complete set of genetic information of an organism) of the novel coronavirus have identified a “double mutant” variant in the country. It said that this new variant has been detected in samples from some states and Union Territories including Maharashtra, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Delhi, Gujarat, Punjab among others.
Also Read: Mutations Are Not Riding The Current Surge Of COVID-19 In India: Dr VK Paul, NITI Aayog
What Is The “Double Mutant” Variant?
According to Dr Rakesh Mishra, the Director of Center For Cellular & Microbiology, in Hyderabad, where the ‘double mutant’ variant was first sequenced,
Mutations in viruses are common. Like all viruses, the coronavirus keeps changing in small ways as it passes from one person to another. However, most are insignificant and do not cause any change in their ability to transmit or cause infections. Some though, like the ones in the United Kingdom or South Africa, can make the virus more infectious and, in some cases, even deadlier.
Earlier in the pandemic, only one mutation was seen in the spikes of the receptor of the virus that helps in binding the virus with host cells. Receptors in the virus produce an immune response in the host body. Over the past year of the pandemic, thousands of such mutations have been identified, said Dr Mishra. He explained that a ‘double mutation’ is when two mutated strains of a virus come together to form a third strain.
The new mutation reported in the country on Wednesday is the result of the combination of the E484Q which is an indigenous strain and L452R, a foreign strain.
Also Read: Coronavirus Mutation May Have Made It More Contagious, Finds Study
Is The New Mutation Another ‘Variants Of Concern’?
According to Dr Randeep Guleria, Director, AIIMS-Delhi, because the mutations in the virus are normal and expected, the medical community’s concern lies in what is called as the “Variant of Concern”. He further explained that these “Variants of Concern” are those variants that have some clinical consequences like either those mutations cause an increase in the number of cases or cause more severe cases or cause more mortality or have an immune escape mechanism which means that the people who have already suffered COVID-19 have a high chance of reinfection and those who have been vaccinated are not protected adequately even after being vaccinated. Currently, as per the Union Health Ministry, there are three previously discovered mutations- first noticed in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil which are the “Variants of Concern”. These variants have, so far, been found in at least 18 states and UTs.
Explaining about the concerns related to mutations, Dr Sushila Kataria, Senior Director, Internal Medicine Department, Medanta said that some mutations in the spike gene can make the virus more virulent or can help the virus become more resistant to the antibodies and thus escape the body’s immune response. A combination of more than one mutation can enhance this in the virus. However, according to Dr Mishra, as of now, mutations cannot be deemed responsible for the surge in COVID-19 cases in the country. He said,
The new strain is efficient, but it is not yet a super spreader. There is no reason to believe that it is more deadly, just yet. But more investigation is required to understand this.
Nevertheless, what is confirmed, according to the experts is that as long as the virus is allowed to spread from person to person, more variants are going to form. Too many mutations can affect the efficiency of vaccines, said Dr Kataria, adding that even though there are vaccines available, there is still a need to stop the virus from spreading.
While talking about the impact of the new variant on the effectiveness of the vaccines- Covishield and Covaxin that are being used currently for inoculating people against the coronavirus, Dr Mishra said,
So far there is no reason to believe vaccines in India – Covishield and Covaxin – will not work against these new strains. But experts say the time has come to bring more vaccines to India. Vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna have better efficacy rates and have been proven to act against the new strains. This is the need of the hour.
The Union Health Ministry said that Genomic sequencing (a testing process to understand the complete genetics of an organism) is being done by the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics (INSACOG), a group of 10 national laboratories under India’s health ministry, and epidemiological studies are continuing to further analyse the situation. So far, the bulk of infections linked to this strain – around 20 per cent – have been reported from Maharashtra – 206 cases, the ministry added.
Also Read: COVID-19 Outbreak Explained: What Is Coronavirus Mutation And What Are The Dangers?
NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.
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India
State & District Details
State | Cases | Active | Recovered | Deaths |
---|---|---|---|---|
DistrictCases Mumbai45,478 Thane13,660 Pune9,920 Mumbai Suburban5,363 Aurangabad1,974 Nashik1,575 Raigad1,462 Palghar1,421 Solapur1,291 Jalgaon1,039 Akola757 Nagpur692 Kolhapur646 Satara629 Ratnagiri350 Amravati291 Dhule228 Hingoli208 Jalna201 Ahmednagar190 Nanded176 Yavatmal150 Sangli145 Latur139 Osmanabad125 Sindhudurg114 Buldhana88 Parbhani78 gondia69 Beed54 Nandurbar42 Gadchiroli42 Bhandara41 Chandrapur32 Washim13 Wardha11 | 38,98,262 58,924 | 6,78,198 6,161 | 31,59,240 52,412 | 60,824 351 |
DistrictCases Kannur357 Kasaragod333 Palakkad224 Malappuram119 Kollam118 Thrissur106 Thiruvananthapuram104 Pathanamthitta98 Kozhikode90 Alappuzha76 Kottayam73 Ernakulam60 Idukki40 Wayanad36 | 12,53,068 13,644 | 1,03,327 9,318 | 11,44,791 4,305 | 4,950 21 |
DistrictCases Udupi1,176 Kalaburagi669 Yadgir538 Bengaluru Urban529 Raichur369 Mandya346 Belagavi337 Bidar219 Hassan205 Davangere204 Vijayapura201 Dakshina Kannada179 Chikkaballapura149 Mysuru107 Bagalkote103 Uttara Kannada95 Shivamogga67 Dharwad61 Ballari60 Gadag45 Bengaluru Rural40 Tumakuru36 Kolar29 Haveri24 Chikkamagaluru19 Chitradurga14 Koppal5 Kodagu4 Ramanagara3 Chamarajanagara0 | 11,76,850 15,785 | 1,42,103 8,541 | 10,21,250 7,098 | 13,497 146 |
DistrictCases Chennai23,324 Chengalpattu1,314 Thiruvallur774 Villupuram509 Kanchipuram503 Tiruvannamalai496 Cuddalore477 Ariyalur444 Tirunelveli433 Tuticorin333 Kallakurichi324 Madurai322 Salem258 Coimbatore188 Virudhunagar185 Dindigul175 Perambalur133 Ranipet133 Thanjavur130 Theni129 Tiruchirappalli119 Ramanathapuram119 Tiruppur116 Kanniyakumari110 Tenkasi103 Nagapattinam99 Karur88 Namakkal83 Erode75 Vellore71 Thiruvarur67 Pudukkottai53 Sivaganga46 Tirupathur45 Krishnagiri43 The Nilgiris17 Dharmapuri15 | 10,02,392 10,941 | 75,116 4,725 | 9,14,119 6,172 | 13,157 44 |
DistrictCases Kurnool795 Krishna557 Guntur511 Anantapur428 East Godavari356 Chittoor319 Sri Potti Sriramulu Nell*296 Y.S.R.205 West Godavari199 Srikakulam183 Prakasam104 Visakhapatnam103 Vizianagaram23 | 9,68,000 5,963 | 48,053 3,367 | 9,12,510 2,569 | 7,437 27 |
DistrictCases Gautam Buddha Nagar1,119 Agra933 Ghaziabad794 Meerut504 Lucknow386 Saharanpur298 Kanpur Nagar286 Moradabad252 Varanasi243 Hapur225 Aligarh215 Basti214 Amethi206 Rampur203 Jaunpur194 Firozabad190 Barabanki168 Gorakhpur166 Bulandshahr166 Siddharth Nagar159 Ghazipur159 Bijnor157 Deoria143 Azamgarh138 Sant Kabeer Nagar132 Mathura129 Ayodhya120 Muzaffarnagar117 Sambhal116 Sultanpur97 Ambedkar Nagar92 Maharajganj85 Amroha80 Rae Bareli78 Bahraich73 Kheri72 Kannauj69 Baghpat68 Kushi Nagar67 Bhadohi60 Ballia60 Gonda59 Etah52 Hardoi49 Balrampur49 Mau48 Mainpuri46 Etawah46 Hathras43 Unnao42 Jalaun41 Jhansi41 Shamli40 Chandauli38 Auraiya37 Farrukhabad36 Sitapur32 Prayagraj30 Banda27 Shahjahanpur25 Shravasti23 Budaun23 Mirzapur22 Bareilly17 Kasganj16 Pratapgarh15 Pilibhit15 Sonbhadra10 Kaushambi6 Kanpur Dehat4 Chitrakoot4 Lalitpur3 Hamirpur3 Mahoba3 Fatehpur3 | 8,79,831 28,211 | 2,08,523 17,066 | 6,61,311 10,978 | 9,997 167 |
DistrictCases North West5,463 Central4,817 West4,768 New Delhi3,405 North3,059 East2,472 South East2,446 South West2,391 South2,329 North East1,914 Shahdara1,580 | 8,77,146 23,686 | 76,887 1,946 | 7,87,898 21,500 | 12,361 240 |
DistrictCases Kolkata2,777 Howrah1,435 24 Paraganas North1,031 Hooghly604 24 Paraganas South281 Maldah235 Dinajpur Uttar216 Coochbehar210 Birbhum206 Medinipur West159 Medinipur East153 Nadia139 Purba Bardhaman130 Murshidabad125 Bankura116 Darjeeling97 Jalpaiguri88 Paschim Bardhaman70 Purulia66 Dinajpur Dakshin50 Alipurduar39 Kalimpong18 Jhargram9 | 6,68,353 8,426 | 53,418 3,780 | 6,04,329 4,608 | 10,606 38 |
DistrictCases Bilaspur100 Korba100 Mungeli87 Baloda Bazar85 Jashpur77 Janjgir-Champa56 Mahasamund54 Rajnandgaon52 Kabirdham52 Raigarh47 Raipur46 Balod41 Korea39 Durg31 Bemetara21 Kanker19 Balrampur17 Surguja14 Gariyaband10 Surajpur9 Dhamtari6 Bijapur2 Bastar2 Dantewada0 Kondagaon0 Narayanpur0 Sukma0 | 5,58,674 13,834 | 1,29,000 981 | 4,23,591 12,678 | 6,083 175 |
DistrictCases Jaipur2,177 Jodhpur1,748 Udaipur724 Bharatpur563 Kota503 Nagaur500 Ajmer379 Dungarpur374 Pali352 Jhalawar329 Bhilwara250 Sikar231 Chittorgarh188 Tonk171 Jalore164 Rajsamand140 Sirohi130 Bikaner112 Banswara91 Alwar90 Churu81 Jhunjhunu64 Dausa61 Dholpur60 Baran59 Jaisalmer53 Barmer34 Hanumangarh31 SawaiMadhopur26 Karauli17 Pratapgarh14 Ganganagar8 Bundi5 | 4,26,584 11,967 | 76,641 9,506 | 3,46,739 2,408 | 3,204 53 |
DistrictCases Indore3,839 Bhopal1,880 Ujjain799 Burhanpur351 Neemuch319 Jabalpur276 East Nimar266 Sagar228 Gwalior211 Khargone196 Dewas140 Dhar132 Mandsaur112 Morena109 Bhind87 Raisen71 Barwani60 Ratlam51 Rewa39 Shajapur39 Hoshangabad37 Vidisha37 Chhatarpur35 Betul35 Rajgarh31 Dindori29 Sheopur26 Damoh26 Satna24 Anuppur22 Panna20 Tikamgarh18 Sidhi17 Narsinghpur17 Chhindwara16 Agar Malwa15 Mandla15 Shivpuri15 Jhabua14 Shandol14 Singrauli13 Ashoknagar13 Datia12 Sehore12 Umaria10 Balaghat9 Guna8 Harda4 Alirajpur3 Katni3 Seoni2 Niwari0 | 4,20,977 12,897 | 74,558 5,982 | 3,41,783 6,836 | 4,636 79 |
DistrictCases Ahmadabad17,125 Surat2,311 Vadodara1,555 Gandhinagar410 Mahesana159 Banas Kantha147 Bhavnagar146 Rajkot135 Arvalli134 Mahisagar125 Anand107 PanchMahals107 Patan105 SabarKantha101 Kachchh99 Kheda98 Jamnagar63 Bharuch56 Botad55 Surendranagar55 Valsad47 GirSomnath45 Dohad43 Chhotaudepur37 Naysari35 Junagadh31 Narmada25 DevbhumiDwarka22 Amreli16 Porbandar11 Tapi6 Dang5 Morbi4 | 4,15,972 11,403 | 68,754 7,107 | 3,41,724 4,179 | 5,494 117 |
DistrictCases Ganjam581 Jajapur322 Khordha238 Baleshwar190 Kendrapara164 Cuttack155 Bhadrak137 Balangir129 Puri103 Sundargarh102 Jagatsinghapur91 Nayagarh86 Mayurbhanj73 Nuapada69 Gajapati61 Dhenkanal36 Boudh34 Kendujhar34 Deogarh33 Kalahandi33 Sonepur29 Kandhamal28 Anugul26 Malkangiri20 Bargarh16 Koraput16 Sambalpur16 Jharsuguda8 Nabarangpur2 Rayagada2 | 3,72,703 4,445 | 23,118 2,938 | 3,47,637 1,503 | 1,948 4 |
DistrictCases Gurugram2,950 Faridabad867 Sonipat404 Rohtak145 Palwal120 Jhajjar114 Karnal104 Hisar98 Ambala93 Panipat78 Nuh68 Bhiwani60 Rewari56 Kurukshetra55 Sirsa50 Kaithal48 Mahendragarh47 CharkiDadri43 Panchkula39 Fatehabad38 Jind38 Yamunanagar19 | 3,63,813 6,842 | 45,363 3,146 | 3,15,002 3,663 | 3,448 33 |
DistrictCases Hyderabad2,475 Ranga Reddy183 Suryapet87 Jagitial77 Nizamabad76 MedchalMalkajgiri75 Mancherial43 YadadriBhuvanagiri40 Jogulamba Gadwal40 Vikarabad40 Nalgonda33 Warangal Urban32 Mahabubnagar30 Sangareddy26 Khammam26 Adilabad22 Nirmal21 Karimnagar17 RajannaSircilla16 Medak11 Kamareddy11 Mahabubabad10 Jayashankar Bhupalapally9 Nagarkurnool8 Kumuram Bheem Asifabad8 Jangoan8 Siddipet7 Peddapalli5 Bhadradri Kothagudem5 Warangal Rural4 Mulugu3 Narayanpet3 Wanaparthy1 | 3,61,359 5,926 | 42,853 3,699 | 3,16,650 2,209 | 1,856 18 |
DistrictCases Patna279 Bhagalpur266 Rohtas256 Khagaria253 Begusarai243 Madhubani199 Munger188 Jehanabad178 Katihar175 Darbhanga143 Samastipur139 Siwan139 PurbiChamparan138 Purnia135 Banka134 Buxar134 Nalanda123 Gopalganj123 Nawada122 Sheikhpura118 Gaya115 Kaimur (bhabua)105 Bhojpur103 Saran101 Muzaffarpur96 Saharsa88 Supaul87 Vaishali87 Madhepura82 Kishanganj75 Aurangabad75 Sitamarhi73 Lakhisarai72 Araria68 Pashchim Champaran57 Arwal52 Jamui47 Sheohar20 | 3,31,604 7,487 | 49,528 4,827 | 2,80,286 2,619 | 1,790 41 |
DistrictCases Amritsar485 Jalandhar297 Ludhiana293 Tarn Taran163 Gurdaspur154 Hoshiarpur140 S.A.S Nagar137 Patiala132 Sangrur107 Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar (Nawanshahr)99 Pathankot86 Rupnagar (Ropar)74 Faridkot74 Sri Muktsar Sahib71 Moga65 Bathinda60 Fatehgarh Sahib57 Fazilka53 Firozepur50 Kapurthala44 Mansa31 Barnala25 | 3,04,660 4,622 | 35,311 1,121 | 2,61,364 3,418 | 7,985 83 |
DistrictCases Kamrup Metro276 Golaghat203 Nagaon143 Hojai89 Dima Hasao86 Karimganj85 Tinsukia84 Cachar80 Dibrugarh61 Hailakandi57 Lakhimpur57 Marigaon50 Dhemaji47 Kamrup42 Kokrajhar37 Dhubri30 Charaideo29 Barpeta28 Udalguri28 Sonitpur27 Jorhat24 Nalbari23 Darrang20 Sivasagar20 Goalpara19 Biswanath16 Baksa14 KarbiAnglong13 Bongaigaon12 Chirang6 West KarbiAnglong5 South SalmaraMancachar4 Majuli2 | 2,25,822 1,367 | 7,663 1,048 | 2,17,017 312 | 1,142 7 |
DistrictCases East Singhbum170 Ranchi148 Hazaribagh110 Garhwa80 Ramgarh75 Koderma58 Simdega48 Dhanbad32 Gumla28 Palamu27 West Singhbhum21 SaraikelaKharsawan20 Giridih19 Bokaro16 Latehar14 Khunti10 Lohardaga8 Deoghar5 Dumka5 Pakur4 Jamtara2 Godda2 Chatra1 Sahebganj0 | 1,67,235 4,290 | 30,477 2,467 | 1,35,256 1,777 | 1,502 46 |
DistrictCases Anantnag395 Srinagar300 Kulgam295 Baramulla271 Shopian255 Kupwara231 Bandipora175 Udhampur155 Ramban151 Jammu138 Budgam110 Pulwama108 Kathua53 Rajouri39 Ganderbal37 Poonch35 Doda27 Reasi26 Samba25 Kishtwar10 Mirpur0 Muzaffarabad0 | 1,48,208 1,516 | 12,164 697 | 1,33,981 813 | 2,063 6 |
DistrictCases Dehradun370 Nainital323 Tehri Garhwal110 Haridwar94 Udam Singh Nagar83 Almora71 Champawat45 Pithoragarh43 Chamoli36 PauriGarhwal36 Bageshwar31 Rudraprayag30 Uttar Kashi24 | 1,26,193 2,160 | 18,864 1,571 | 1,05,437 565 | 1,892 24 |
DistrictCases Hamirpur117 Kangra105 Una41 Solan32 Chamba29 Bilaspur21 Mandi21 Sirmaur11 Shimla10 Kullu4 Kinnaur2 Lahaul And Spiti0 | 78,070 1,695 | 9,783 1,087 | 67,084 595 | 1,203 13 |
DistrictCases South Goa69 North Goa57 | 68,152 940 | 7,547 495 | 59,705 428 | 900 17 |
DistrictCases Pondicherry111 Mahe4 Karaikal2 Yanam0 | 48,336 565 | 4,692 224 | 42,931 336 | 713 5 |
DistrictCases Chandigarh313 | 34,546 612 | 3,804 179 | 30,325 429 | 417 4 |
DistrictCases Dhalai196 Sepahijala174 Gomati74 South Tripura53 Unakoti49 West Tripura45 Khowai24 North Tripura14 | 34,094 60 | 506 44 | 33,194 16 | 394 |
DistrictCases Churachandpur32 Kangpokpi26 Imphal West21 Thoubal18 Imphal East10 Tengnoupal9 Bishnupur7 Senapati6 Chandel5 Kamjong5 Ukhrul4 Jiribam3 Pherzawl3 Kakching2 Tamenglong2 Noney1 | 29,775 54 | 296 41 | 29,102 12 | 377 1 |
DistrictCases Changlang31 Papum Pare8 Lohit3 Namsai2 West Siang1 East Siang1 Upper Siang1 Tawang1 PakkeKessang1 West Kameng0 Upper Subansiri0 Tirap0 Siang0 Shi Yomi0 Anjaw0 Lower Subansiri0 Lower Dibang Valley0 Longding0 Leparada0 KurungKumey0 KraDaadi0 Kamle0 East Kameng0 Dibang Valley0 Lower Siang0 | 17,052 65 | 176 54 | 16,820 11 | 56 |
DistrictCases East Khasi Hills22 West Garo Hills5 South West Garo Hills4 North Garo Hills1 West Jaintia Hills1 West Khasi Hills1 East Garo Hills0 East Jaintia Hills0 Ribhoi0 South Garo Hills0 South West Khasi Hills0 | 14,979 108 | 754 74 | 14,071 33 | 154 1 |
DistrictCases Dimapur20 Mon8 Kohima7 Kiphire3 Tuensang3 Peren2 Phek1 Longleng0 Mokokchung0 Wokha0 Zunheboto0 | 12,568 13 | 189 13 | 12,285 | 94 |
DistrictCases Kargil77 LehLadakh43 | 12,306 175 | 1,699 52 | 10,474 123 | 133 |
DistrictCases East District3 South District3 North District0 West District0 | 6,705 9 | 404 5 | 6,165 4 | 136 |
DistrictCases South Andamans33 Nicobars1 North And Middle Andaman1 | 5,421 31 | 145 19 | 5,212 12 | 64 |
DistrictCases Dadra And Nagar Haveli20 | 5,102 299 | 1,136 213 | 3,962 86 | 4 |
DistrictCases Kolasib11 Aizawl10 Mamit8 Lawngtlai2 Lunglei2 Saitual1 Champhai0 Hnahthial0 Khawzawl0 Saiha0 Serchhip0 | 4,995 91 | 437 54 | 4,546 37 | 12 |
DistrictCases Lakshadweep District0 | 1,282 117 | 490 100 | 791 17 | 1 |