Yet, the ministry statement said, these have not been detected in numbers sufficient to either establish a direct relationship or explain the rapid increase in cases in some states
A double mutation found in the Sars-CoV-2 virus that causes coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in Maharashtra is of concern as these mutations have not been yet catalogued, the Union ministry of health and family welfare announced on Wednesday.
“The analysis of samples from Maharashtra has revealed that compared to December 2020, there has been an increase in the fraction of samples with the E484Q and L452R mutations. Such mutations confer immune escape and increased infectivity. These mutations have been found in about 15-20% of samples and do not match any previously catalogued variants of concern (VOCs),” said health ministry in a statement.
“These have been categorised as VOCs but require the same epidemiological and public health response of ‘increased testing, comprehensive tracking of close contacts, prompt isolation of positive cases & contacts as well as treatment as per National Treatment Protocol’ by the states and Union Territories,” the statement added.