'Double mutant' Covid variant found in India

Double mutant Covid variant found in India

A new "dual mutant" variant of the corona virus has been identified from samples collected in India.

Officials are testing whether the variant, which combines two mutations in the same virus, is more susceptible to infection or less susceptible to vaccines.

Approximately 10,787 specimens from 18 Indian states showed 771 known varieties - 736 in the UK, 34 in South Africa and one in Brazil.

India recorded 47,262 cases and 275 deaths on Wednesday - the sharpest daily rise this year.

SARS-CoV-2 Genomics of India (INSACOG), a team of 10 national laboratories under the Ministry of Health of India, carried out genetic sequencing on the latest models. Genetic sequencing is an experimental process that maps the entire genetic code of an organism - in this case, the virus.

The genetic code of the virus acts as its instruction manual. Mutations in viruses are common, but most of them are very minor and do not cause any change in their ability to spread or cause severe infection. But some mutations, like UK or South African variant heredity, can make the virus more contagious and in some cases even more dangerous.

Virus expert Shahid Jameel explained that "double mutation in key areas of the virus's spike protein would increase these risks and allow the virus to escape from the immune system."

Spike protein is a component of the virus that is used to infiltrate human cells.

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