Variant found in 18 States, but Govt says it’s premature to say these strains cause of spike
A fresh challenge has emerged in the war against coronavirus with the Health Ministry on Wednesday disclosing that a new “double mutant variant” of the deadly virus has been found in 18 States. Many other variants of concern (VOCs) have also been detected, the Ministry said.
However, the Government said it would be premature at this stage to say that the new variant was behind the second wave of cases across India.
“Though VOCs and a new double mutant variant have been found in India, these have not been detected in numbers sufficient to either establish or direct relationship or explain the rapid increase in cases in some States. Genomic sequencing and epidemiological studies are continuing to further analyse the situation,” the Ministry said in a statement.
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 per cent of samples and do not match any previously catalogued VOCs,” the statement said.
India recorded 47,262 fresh coronavirus cases in a day, the highest single-day rise so far this year, taking the nationwide Covid-19 tally to 1,17,34,058. the Health Ministry said.
States like Maharashtra, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh are reporting a high number of cases. National capital Delhi is also witnessing a spike in cases after a brief downward trend.
Meanwhile, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said on Wednesday that the situation in Maharashtra and Punjab are of grave concern. Maharashtra reported more than 28,000 cases in the last 24 hours and Punjab is recoding disproportionately high number of cases compared to its population.
Bhushan added that situation of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh is also worrisome.
With Covid cases on the rise, Haryana became the latest State to ban public celebrations of Holi. Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij tweeted, “In the light of the Covid-19 situation, public celebration of Holi will not be allowed in the State.”
On Tuesday, public celebration and gatherings for upcoming festivals, including Holi, were prohibited in Delhi and Mumbai amid a renewed surge in Covid-19 cases across the country. The Uttar Pradesh Government, on the other hand, has issued a set of guidelines asking senior citizens and vulnerable groups to stay away from celebrations and said no processions or gatherings will be allowed without prior administrative permission.
Thursday, 25 March 2021 | PNS | New Delhi
