India is hit hard by a second wave of Covid-19. In the space of 24 hours, 200,000 contaminations were identified in the country, a record. This outbreak could be due to the “Indian variant”, called “double mutant”. It would be both more contagious and more resistant to antibodies.
A new variant of the virus has been detected in India. The country is hit by a new epidemic wave and has identified in 24 hours, 200,000 new cases, according to official data released Thursday, April 15 and relayed by The Parisian.
Second most affected country in the world
India is the second country to be the most affected by the virus with 13.9 million infections. This outbreak of cases could be due to this famous variant, dit “double mutant” (B.1.617).
According to RTL, which relays the data from National Institute of Virology (NIV) in India, 61% of samples taken between January and March in the Bombay area included traces of this variant who has two mutations of Covid-19. At the end of January, it only represented 15 to 20% of withdrawals. It spreads in the Maharashtra, in Delhi and in Punjab, places that know a upsurge virus, note Slate.
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More contagious, more resistant
The Indian variant is also called a “double mutant” (or “recombinant”) because it has the properties of two strains of the virus. The mutation L452R, detected in California, and the mutation E484Q, close to the variant South African and Brazilian. The first makes the virus more contagious, the second makes it more resistant to the antibody and potentially to vaccines. Note that these mutations are not rare, explained a virologist at the BBC end of March.
These mutations could cause an “immune escape and increased infectivity”, explained the Indian Ministry of Health at the end of March. L’Obs adds Wednesday April 14 that this variant would be less detectable via the tests PCR and that scans would be required. On the symptom side, the bleeding of nose is underlined. Regarding its lethality, little information is currently available.
No case in France
This variant was first detected on December 7. According to Slate, cases have been identified in UK, at Singapore, on Australia and to States–United. For the time being, France is spared. In India, the situation worries the authorities who fear the consequences of political rallies and religious.
The vaccination campaign would also experience difficulties in terms of stocks but also of confidence. Nearly 108 million doses have been administered since mid-January and the goal is to reach 300 million people by the end of July. The JDD specifies that faced with this shortage, exports of PInde, the largest vaccine manufacturer in the world, will decrease. The country has also authorized the Russian serum, Sputnik V.
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