Everything That We Know So Far About The Triple Mutant Strain Of COVID-19 Found In India

At a time when India's COVID-19 vaccination drive is failing to keep up with the pace of infections in the country, there may be more to be concerned about.

A new strain that was recently discovered in India has three mutations.

Triple mutant strains have been found in samples collected from Maharashtra, Delhi, West Bengal, and Chhattisgarh and is believed to be behind the rapid spread of COVID during the second wave.

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Virus mutation natural phenomenon

Viruses mutating over time is a natural phenomenon and it can either weaken or make them more dangerous depending on how it evolves and what changes it undergoes.

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As far as the triple mutant - B.1.618 is concerned, it seems to have evolved from the double mutation where three different Covid strains have combined to form a new variant.

Initial sequences of variant found in West Bengal

According to scientists, the initial sequences of the variant were found in West Bengal.

According to Dr Vinod Scaria, a scientist with the CSIR Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, there are many unknowns for this lineage at this moment including its capability to cause reinfections as well as vaccine breakthrough infections. Additional experimental data is also required to assess the efficacy of vaccines against this variant.

B.1.618 - a new lineage of SARS-CoV-2 predominnatly found in India and characterized by a distinct set of genetic variants including E484K , a major immune escape variant. pic.twitter.com/dtfQJp2S2B

¡ª Vinod Scaria (@vinodscaria) April 20, 2021

Members in this lineage have also been reported from the USA, Germany, Switzerland, and Singapore. However, it is predominantly found in India. The variant is characterized by the deletion of two amino acids in the spike protein ¡ªH146del and Y145del, which are both linked to immune escape or in other words evade antibodies. In addition, the variant also carries the D614G mutation in the spike protein and the E484K mutations, which are associated with increased infectivity and immune escape, respectively.

There are many unknowns for this lineage at this moment including its capability to cause reinfections as well as vaccine breakthrough infections. Additional experimental data is also required to assess the efficacy of vaccines against this variant.

¡ª Vinod Scaria (@vinodscaria) April 20, 2021

"As the virus spreads, it gets more opportunities to acquire mutations and evolve at a faster rate. This is a natural aspect of virus life-cycle but it is very important that we track these changes (virus surveillance) and follow the important viral characteristics associated with these mutations," Dr Veena P. Menon, Faculty-In-Charge, Clinical Virology Laboratory, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi, told IANS.

While the SARS-CoV2, causing the Covid-19 infections, has evolved at a much slower rate compared to Influenza or HIV viruses but as the number of infections rises, we are observing a rapid emergence of numerous viral variants.

With the increase in the number of infections and spread, there are more opportunities for the virus to mutate.

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"As the infections are increasing at an alarming rate, there is a very high likelihood that we will encounter more virus variants in our population. Some of these variants get selected for faster transmissibility (spread) or 'increased severity' (more pathogenic) and also "immune (vaccine) escape", Menon explained.

The evidence so far suggests that none of the important virus variants are associated with increased severity. However, an increased transmissibility is associated with the UK variant (lineage B1.1.7) while the Brazilian and South African variants exhibit ability to escape vaccine-induced immunity.

"Mutation in the respiratory virus is a natural process. This process is augmented in situations of high spread and presence of vaccinated people in the community. We will see more variants in India in future too," Dr Harshal R. Salve, Associate Professor at Centre for Community Medicine, AIIMS New Delhi, told IANS.

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Stricter implementation of public health infection control measures like usage of masks, social distancing and vaccinations are all key to prevent the spread. Besides, the need is to continue monitoring the virus evolution, the experts said.

"Combining genetic surveillance methods with evaluation of the biological and clinical characteristics of these virus variants will aid in better understanding virus variants and its clinical and public health impact," Menon added.