Double Mutant Variant Of COVID-19 Capable Of Evading Vaccine

Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist at the World Health Organisation said that the Coronavirus variant spreading in India is more infectious and has some mutations that could render it immune to antibodies generated by vaccinations, AFP reported.

The scientist said in an interview with the news agency that these factors were leading to the second wave’s huge outbreak of the infection.

Researchers discovered that the double-mutant coronavirus variant that has emerged in India (the B.1.617) reached some forms of lung and intestine cells with marginally higher efficiency than the original wild-type strain. The COVID-19 B.1.617 variant, also known as the double mutant strain, was first discovered in India in October 2020. The strain consists of two virus variants, as the name implies. The E484Q mutation resembles a previously identified variant – the E484K – that was found in fast-spreading Brazilian and South African mutants, rendering it highly transmissible. The L452R mutation, on the other hand, aids the virus’s ability to escape the immune system. B.1.617 was the name given to the double mutation strain.

“B 1.617 is likely to be a variant of concern because it has some mutations which increase transmission, and which also potentially could make [it] resistant to antibodies that are generated by vaccination or by natural infection,” Swaminathan said.

India’s large number of infections raises the chances of new and more harmful variants emerging, she added. However, the mutation alone is not to be blamed for the surge in COVID-19 cases in India. Large gatherings and social mixings have also played a huge role in the second wave being as bad as it is.

Additionally, she said, in a country as large as India, transmissions could be at extremely low levels as it has been for months. However, in situations where there are mass gatherings, the virus multiplies and transmits at a rate that is difficult to control.

Swaminathan also stated that vaccination alone would not be enough to stop the outbreak in India, claiming that inoculating 70-80 per cent of the country’s 130 million people would take “months, if not years.”

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