Tag:

new variant

Wuhan scientists warn of new variant of Coronavirus with high death rate & infection rate

by Medically Speaking Team January 28, 2022

Amid the surging cases of Omicron in several countries, there are reports of another likely variant popping up from China. Scientists in China have issued warnings about NeoCoV, a mutation related to the Middle East respiratory syndrome MERS-CoV that is linked to outbreaks in the Middle East in 2012 and 2015.

The fresh warning comes on the heels of a yet-to-be peer-reviewed study released in preprint on the bioRxiv website, which was discovered in a colony of bats in South Africa and has so far propagated only among these creatures. NeoCoV and its near sibling, PDF-2180-CoV, can employ some forms of bat Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and human ACE2 to gain access, according to the study.

The novel coronavirus might connect to the ACE2 receptor in a different way than the COVID-19 pathogen, according to scientists. The virus might carry a combination of MERS-high CoV’s fatality rate and the existing SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus’s high transmission rate.

A report, on the Russian website Sputnik, claimed that the high mortality rate of MERS could lead to “one in three infected people dying on average.”

“Our study demonstrates the first case of ACE2 usage in MERS-related viruses, shedding light on a potential bio-safety threat of the human emergence of an ACE2 using ‘MERS-CoV-2’ with both high fatality and transmission rate,” the paper said.

“Experts from the Vector research centre are aware of the data that Chinese researchers obtained regarding NeoCov coronavirus. At this time, it’s not about the emergence of a new coronavirus capable of actively spreading among humans,” Vector Russian State Research Centre of Virology and Biotechnology said in a statement.

So yet, no one has been affected by NeoCoV, and experts are encouraging additional research to determine if it can infect humans or not. The World Health Organization (WHO), which monitors mutations and new viral outbreaks, has remained silent on the findings.

The news provoked concern, as the globe remained wary of potential coronavirus outbreaks. The Omicron epidemic, which was first reported by the WHO in November, has resulted in a significant increase in cases all over the world, with infections now being confirmed on all continents.

January 28, 2022 0 comment

Uncategorized

Omicron: Monoclonal Antibody treatment will be a game changer, experts claim

by Medically Speaking Team November 29, 2021

written by Medically Speaking Team

“Monoclonal antibody should be given to high-risk patients, which attacks the spike protein and arrests the virus when it does not attach to the host cells. It might be a game changer for this new mutation. Even if there is some kind of immune evading mechanism in this mutant with the previous vaccination, it still gives you some kind of protection in the body,” claimed Dr Viny Kantroo while commenting on the efficient solution for the newly discovered Omicron variant of Covid-19.

In a discussion with Medically Speaking, a panel of top health experts explained the South African variant, the possible treatments known so far and travel restrictions. The panel included: Dr Viny Kantroo, Senior Consultant, Critical care, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital; Dr Dodul Mondal, Senior Consultant, Radiation Oncologist, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital; Dr Praveen Gupta, Principal Director, Neurology, Fortis Hospital; Dr Vivek Nangia, HOD, Pulmonology, Max Healthcare.

Here are the excerpts from the exclusive interview:

What exactly is this new variant and what does the government mean by “horrible mutation”?

Dr Viny Kantroo: The fact that we had Covid in the backburner was something people were not trying to understand and forgot about the Covid Appropriate Behaviour because respiratory viruses mutate every year, example given influenza virus. The new Covid variant found in South Africa is said to have 30 mutations in the spike protein, which makes it more aggressive to connect to the tissues and leads to disease that are more infectious, furthermore leading to another pandemic wave.

Variant of Concern does not necessarily mean that it will lead to the 3^rd or 4^th wave in India, but since it has so many mutations, the government is fearful that it may lead to increase in the number of cases and may evade the immunity created by vaccination.

What does it mean for those who are vaccinated?

Dr Vivek Nangia: This virus has over 50 mutations out of which 30 are on the spike protein, something that is targeted by the vaccines. Right now we only know that the vaccines can protect us from catching Covid and serious illness. So we should go and take our vaccination and not take them lightly. If these mutations will result in more severe disease or not, we do not know yet, but we do know that the infectibility and transmissibility is higher. If it took about 6 weeks for the Delta variant to grow from 0% to 50% positivity rate, this virus takes just 2 weeks and hence the chances of spreading are very high. Only for the few cases detected, several others will go undetected.

What are these various variants and how is the new variant different from Delta?

Dr Praveen Gupta: Once the virus undergoes mutation, it changes the way it engages with the host. If the virus progresses in the body faster, it can cause more aggressive disease also. Which means once the virus mutates, it invades the immunity that has been acquired and that happens with influenza every year. People roam around in the country as if Covid has gone now and we are celebrating it. The variant now reaches people faster than the older ones. Which means that without Covid Appropriate Behaviour, it could start a wave and trigger it very fast. Therefore the easiest path is to go back to Covid SOP’s which will prevent the spread. Although the report from South Africa says that vaccines will be able to provide some immunity, but due to some mutations in the glycoprotein, it will be able to evade the immunity created by vaccines also to and extent. Therefore, vaccines may not be able to provide adequate protection.

Thirdly, we saw that antibodies and Pfizer vaccine was not as effective on the Delta variant as it was on the previous variants. As more and more variants come in, the impact of the current medications and the vaccines may not remain as robust as it was with the previous variants and that is the main reason to call it as the variant of concern as it has the potential to start another wave in our country and across the world also.

Dr Guleria says that we do not need booster shots, but we also know that the efficacy and antibodies wane with time. What is your view on booster shots concerning the new variants?

Dr Dodul Mondal: The age of the current pandemic is nearly 2 years now and everything is under research and we are not very sure to confidently comment on any need of doses. We have to wait till the time scientific data is available. But as of now, we know that in many vital infections, booster dose really works.

We can say that the scientific evidence is awaited but we know that the efficacy wanes and with this new mutation, there is a higher concern. What would you say about the booster doses?

Dr Viny Kantroo: There is no one to one answer to your question, but even our second dose is pending and has been given only to 30 to 35 per cent of the population. Therefore, thinking of a booster dose with the first generation vaccine is a bit premature as we are seeing the need to upgrade them to the second generation. We are seeing a lot of mutations inside the virus every 3 to 6 months and hence second generation vaccines would be a greater option than booster doses.

Isn’t second generation vaccine a much longer process? Can’t the doses that lie unused in the hospitals be utilized for giving booster to those who ask for it?

Dr Vivek Nangia: Science has showed that there are studies where the immunity, may it be through vaccines or natural, is likely to wane in a period of 6 to 8 months. Therefore, booster or a second dose of vaccine is definitely necessary. Only a small segment of the population has been vaccinated till now and 76% is still to be vaccinated. If we already start talking about the booster dose, things will become a little tricky. Considering the influenza situation, every year there is a new strain and a new vaccine based on the prevailing strain. Covid might as well require new vaccine each year, and we are not sure if the current vaccine can cover Omicron completely. These questions will be answered in due course of time.

What will be your advise to the policy makers as WHO says travel restriction is not the most stop robust reaction?

Dr Praveen Gupta: Omicron is a variant of concern at this time and when this concern will convert into a real problem, we do not know as of now. In a period of two to three weeks, we will experience a wave, and while the wave is reaching its peak, we could consider revaccination especially for people at rest. But if revaccination with the same vaccine will be of any help is still a doubt.

There are concerns at two levels as of now, individual and social and this virus varies between the two. But since this disease is a community disease, we need to find out best measures to prevent it at a community level and reiterate the Covid appropriate behaviour that is the cheapest most effective way to combat every variant. Giving some help or incentive to people practicing covid appropriate behaviour and reprimanding those who flout this behaviour and not taking vaccines is possibly a better way for us.

We have seen that people have a lackadaisical attitude due to decreasing number of cases. Is Omicron a cause of concern for people and they must follow the same protocol that they did while the second wave was at its peak?

Dr Dodul Mondal: This is the best way to prevent any illness that spreads through respiratory tract. People living in metropolitans do follow these protocols, but once you are out of the metro cities, they are completely different. I visited smaller cities recently and saw that the markets and shops are open and no one is wearing masks. People think there are no Covid cases. Hence reiteration of the SOP’s is needed by all means. I do not think policies cannot help until and unless people are concerned and educated because forcing them cannot help in the long run.

What will be your suggestion to those who are thinking of international travel?

Dr Viny Kantroo: If there are variants of concern in some parts of the world like South Africa, you should be avoiding travel in those parts and people coming in from those countries should be given rigorous scanning at the airport and should be tested for Covid-19. It is better to take preventive measures than to let this virus go on to a level where we cannot curb it.

Can this variant cause reinfection?

Dr Vivek Nangia: This virus can easily cause reinfection and that is what it is known to cause as of now. Secondly, we know that it can be diagnosed easily with the existing RTPCR kits. There are three strands to look at for every PCR kit and if two of them test positive, it can be diagnosed as Omicron. Thirdly, we know it is easily transmissible and the doubling time is pretty rapid. As far as the immune escape is concerned, we still do not know if the medication, antibody cocktail or the vaccine will be effective.

What do we know about the efficacy of Covaxin and Covishield as of now?

Dr Praveen Gupta: Our vaccine basically works on the spike glycoprotein and as we have already discussed, there are over 30 mutations on the spike glycoprotein of Omicron, which is where the question of the vaccine efficacy arises from because if the target has undergone mutation, vaccine may not work at all or as well. We have seen that a large number of vaccinated people have got infected, but thankfully the infections are mild and hospitalizations are less. Therefore we say that we may need second generation vaccine which are able to surmount the variants and are effective against them. That is where the concern lies because of a variant with high transmissibility, increased infectivity and some vaccine resistance. If it spreads, it may not be possible to check it because instead of 6 weeks, it may spread in two weeks. We have a situation similar to March and February where people were meeting and celebrating and the festivals are around the corner. The concern is there but very low.

Why is there an alarm regarding this variant in India?

Dr Dodul Mondal: Now since the international travels are open for almost every country, definitely, there is a reason to be concerned. Therefore, there has to be rigid policy to prevent infection from other countries, which we noticed in previous waves. Secondly, there is no replacement of the fact that SOP’s are the cheapest most effective way to curb any infection.

What do we know on the treatment front?

Dr Viny Kantroo: The symptoms are quite similar to the previous variant as there has been no report of any different one so far. The treatment is going to be similar because the infection was very mild previously and the hospitalizations were very low and we hope the same happens this time as well. I believe monoclonal antibody should be given to high-risk patients which attacks the spike protein and arrests the virus when it does not attach to the host cells. It might be a game changer for this new mutation. Even if there is some kind of immune evading mechanism in this mutant with the previous vaccination, it still gives you some kind of protection in the body. If people have any hesitancy regarding the second dose, they should get vaccination because it will prevent you from getting hospitalized or getting on any kind of oxygen support despite n number

November 29, 2021 0 comment

Uncategorized

Analyzing state-specific data eligible to avoid third wave: Dr Samiran Panda, ICMR Scientist

by Medically Speaking Team September 7, 2021

written by Medically Speaking Team

“We need to look at where the second wave was descending since an increase will almost definitely be noticed from there, which may be regarded an early sign of the third wave. However, this necessitates a thorough examination of state-specific data,” claims top scientist of the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), Dr Samiran Panda.

In an interview with Medically Speaking, Dr Panda talked about the possible threats of the third wave and increasing number of daily cases in India amid the festive season.

Everyone wants to know whether the third wave is going to hit or not? And if it does, what does it mean for the common people and when will it arrive or is it already here?

Dr Samiran Panda: Short answer to this is that yes there is a possibility of the third wave hitting us. The question, however can be broken down to smaller parts and should be asked at state level because India does not have a uniform state-wise vulnerability. Many states in India did not get affected as severely as Maharashtra, Kerala or Delhi. 80% of the recorded infections were recorded by only 10 states and people there developed good immunity against the infection. Thus, the possibility of third wave hitting strong in these states is lower compared to other states. These states also had quick vaccination which boosted their immunity fairly. State-level data should be analyzed on the terms of the intensity of first and second wave and the vaccination.

We are seeing 60 % to 70 % of daily cases coming from Kerala. Would you say that third wave has arrived there already?

Dr Samiran Panda: We realized that around 44% of the individuals in Kerala, particularly from the areas participating in the 4^th round of the Sero-survey had presence of antibodies in them which means that they were also exposed to the infection. Looking at the other side of this, 56% of the people were not infected which means that Kerala was successful in containing the infection. Hence, we are not surprised on the fact that Kerala is experiencing surge of infection.

We need to look at where the second wave was descending since an increase will almost definitely be noticed from there, which may be regarded an early sign of the third wave. However, this necessitates a thorough examination of state-specific data.

Which states are at a higher risk of entering the third wave?

Dr Samiran Panda : Infections might happen to anyone even after the vaccination but will not push us to the severe stage of the disease. In a particular state vaccination has again good coverage then people will still get infected if they do not observe covid appropriate behaviour. Vaccine against Covid-19 in India are not infection preventing vaccines, they are disease modifying vaccines. Hospitalization or need of oxygens or even unfortunate event of deaths will be less in those states where 50-60% of the people have been vaccinated.

Would you say there is a tentative time line for the upcoming third wave, or would you say that it is not inevitable?

Dr Samiran Panda : Virus needs an opportunity where suspectable people come in contact with infected individuals and in the situation that the population density is very high.

We saw a surge in cases last time after the festivals like Holi and people went out to places like Kullu-Manali. Would you say that this time too the third wave would be experienced after festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi?

Dr Samiran Panda: If the height of the wave is in the question, I would still expect the height of this wave to be lower than the second because we did not have vaccinations happening back then.

If the population density increases during festivals with Covid appropriate behavior not being followed, we can always expect rise in cases. We must not forget our health is in our own hands.

Recorded number of infections and recorded number of symptomatic infections where more people are going to hospital requiring oxygen are two different things. Second scenario where the number of advanced stages of disease are at a large, is a scenario which can be considered as a wave and we do not want that.

Is it possible to avoid it?

Dr Samiran Panda: Each state needs to look into the epidemiology of the infection. It is possible to avoid the rise in cases through the state-specific data analysis.

We have seen a new variant emerge known as “C.1.2 and MU” which could be a variant of concern and as reports suggest many vaccines may not be as effective on it. Is there any real danger of it spreading in India?

Dr Samiran Panda: while delta was spreading, we looked into the magnitude of its spread. We realized that all the variants were neutralized by the …… collected by the vaccine recipient which is a good thing. Talking about the variants from other countries, we need to have a surveillance which could happen at three levels: at the airports, at the state level and at the district level.

As yet we have not recorded this new variant. Any new variant is identified as variant of interest or variant under investigation. As far as India is concerned, C.1.2 has not made an entry into the nation. If it results in large number of cases and deaths are being reported due to the new variant, it will be identified as a variant of concern.

NCDC is the focal institution that will conduct this genomic surveillance which sees whether the new variants are appearing or not.

There are certain variants like the Delta Plus on which the vaccines are not effective. What does this mean for our country?

Dr Samiran Panda: Any variant that gets identified as the variant of concern must be tested against the serum collected from a vaccine recipient and see if the serum is able to neutralize the new variant. Many laboratory experiments have shown that the vaccines made in India have been able to handle the variants called Delta or Delta Plus.

Since we are talking about the various mutation of covid, the possible third wave is stressing people. If it comes, will it be as effective as second wave or will it not be considering the number of cases in the second wave, immunity building etc.?

Dr Samiran Panda: If the third wave occurs, then, according to the models which we studied at ICMR, the third wave should not reach the heights as we had seen in the second wave, which is a good thing, but we should not let our guard down because, post vaccination, it’s possible for us to get infected. We won’t get to the severe point of the disease, but others can get infected, which is not good.

Is there any fear regarding increase in covid cases as children have better immunity but the can be carriers?

Dr Samiran Panda: Although children got infected but it is not clear whether they got it from school or not. And according to a National Sero-survey we saw that 55 percent of the children were already exposed and infected because they had presence of antibodies during the survey. So what can be done to avoid further spread is that before or during the opening of schools the parents and the school staff should get fully vaccinated and all the required precautions should be taken. Moreover, people should know that preventing children going from school is like robbing their life opportunities from them because they are the future of the country.

There are few reports about the booster shots, many countries started it already. What do you think about it whether India needs a booster shot?

Dr Samiran Panda: In India, we turned out to be lucky to have Covaxin and Covishield and many people have achieved natural immunity through natural infection. It does not make any sense to talk about booster dose as many eligible and prioritised groups of Indians are receiving vaccines and preferably two doses.

In the case of these present variants, it is all dependent on discussion related to neutralizing antibodies. But we must not forget that it’s just not about neutralizing antibodies after vaccination or post infection which matters. There is another arm of immunity, which is called cell-mediated immunity, and we are not measuring them.

I would say let’s not panic, and let us get fully vaccinated and then see what is the scientific data is telling us. For India, booster dose should not be the centre of discussion.

What would you tell the audience about the safety majors one should take as we are also approaching the festive season?

Dr Samiran Panda: If we celebrate a little low key so may be can celebrate better in coming years. So my appeal to everyone is get vaccinated keep the covid appropriate behaviour and so by doing this we can win this war against Covid-19 in India. So all of this is in your hand. Stay home and stay safe.

September 7, 2021 0 comment

Uncategorized

Covid mutation in India ‘variant of concern’: WHO

by Medically Speaking Team May 10, 2021

written by Medically Speaking Team

A Covid-19 variant spreading in India, the B.1.617, appears to be more contagious and has been classified as being “of concern”, the World Health Organization said Monday.

“There is some available information to suggest increased transmissibility,” and also possibly some increased resistance to vaccine protections, Maria Van Kerkove, WHO’s lead on Covid-19, told reporters. “As such, we are classifying this as a variant of concern at the global level,” she added.

May 10, 2021 0 comment

Uncategorized

No evidence that the new variant is deadly, says CCMB director

by Medically Speaking Team May 5, 2021

written by Medically Speaking Team

The Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) Wednesday debunked reports of a unique or a novel strain circulating in Andhra Pradesh, particularly in Visakhapatnam.

In an interview with The Print, CCMB director, Rakesh Mishra, said the prevalence of the variant being called the ‘N440K strain’ in Andhra Pradesh is less than 5 per cent at the moment and is likely to disappear or be replaced soon by other existing variants.

He also said that there is no evidence that the N440K variant is deadly or more infectious than other Covid-19 variants.

“There is no unique AP strain or a Vishakapatnam strain. Neither were any existing strains found to be more infectious or deadly than what we already saw before,” Mishra said.

“The N440K has been around for quite some time and was prevalent in other southern states (Karnataka, Kerala) earlier. But now the N440K in Andhra is less than 5 per cent and is likely to be replaced by a double mutant or any other variant. It could have been around during the first wave also.”

The N440K is a mutation, where the N amino acid at the 440th position of the spike protein changed to the K. The mutation is a part of a number of variants globally, and is associated with immune escape.

The CCMB had, in February, said that there was emerging evidence that the N440K mutation is spreading a lot more in southern states and a closer surveillance is needed to understand its spread properly.

Also denying that the variant is 15 times more virulent in Andhra Pradesh, Mishra said that it would be a misinterpretation to claim so. Citing a pre-print published by the lab a few days ago, which spoke about how the N440K variant grows faster in a ‘culture’, the director said that does not mean it is more virulent in humans.

“There was some misinterpretation — our report said the virus grows 10 or 15 times more when grown in a culture. But culture is a different kind of animal cell that we grow and in that, we replicate the virus and the yield is more,” he added. “That does not reflect infectivity in humans. Because humans are whole systems; they have immune systems and a lot of other variations. So, infectivity cannot be compared to what happens in a culture cell.”

According to CCMB’s Vishal Shah, one of the authors of the pre-print, the study did not compare the infective tier of N440K with the B.1.17 UK variant or the B.1.617 Indian variant in this study. The comparison was with its parent variant, which did not have N440K mutation and with another variant that is now almost lost among the population.

May 5, 2021 0 comment

Uncategorized

Britain officials investigate Indian originated variant

by Medically Speaking Team April 18, 2021

written by Medically Speaking Team

British Health officials are investigating Covid-19 variant originating in India but as yet they have enough evidence to classify it is as a variant of concern, Susan Hopkins of Public Health England (PHE) said on Sunday.

PHE has said it has identified 77 cases of the variant in Britain.

April 18, 2021 0 comment

Uncategorized

The Danger of Double Mutant Virus by Dr Rakesh Mishra, Dr Dhiren Gupta

by Medically Speaking Team March 27, 2021

written by Medically Speaking Team

Discussion about double mutant variant. So what exactly is double mutant variant for this we have on our panel Dr. Rakesh Mishra who is a director of CSIR-CCMB labs.

What exactly is double mutant variant and how it going to affect us in future?

Dr. Rakesh Mishra- Double mutant variant as the name suggests has two changes in its genome one L is converted into R at 452 position and in one E is converted Q at 484 position. So when these two mutation are together we calling it double mutant and what is observed that in cases that we have sequence genomes these two mutation are going together so that way its giving it signature to a new variant and particularly in Maharashtra about 20 % of the cases are due to this new variant as of now although in other states it’s not very prominent. It’s 1 or 2% or even less.

How it is going to affect and who is responsible for this mutant variant?

Dr. Rakesh Mishra- Responsible! Virus mutate in natural ways and if we allow the virus to spread then it will have more chance to mutate and only people are allowing it spread so people are responsible in that way but while this is natural process we should keep that also in mind, as far as problems are considered since even in Maharashtra where it is seen in highest proportion which is only 20 % that means 80% of the cases of Maharashtra are not because of this variant and other states we don’t see this variant so much. So this means this variant is not responsible for the recent rise in the cases something else is responsible which we can come in a minute, also we have not seen increased symptoms or mortality in fact more and more people are A symptomatic not more than 85% and mortality has decreased so which means we understand the disease better and proper care have been given by the doctor that’s why mortality is less and this also means that this variant is like other circulating variants is not more dangerous. So it not a fast spreader, it is not clinically more dangerous but whether it will be a problem for the vaccine or not that is something we have to confirm because there are only reports that both of these mutations can have immune escape behaviour so will which be a concern for the vaccine but if it was actually happening at least in our case we would have seen by now some re-infection cases which we have not seen so far so many be it is less data so we can’t conclude very much but early indications are that immunity acquired by prior infection and therefore by vaccination is protecting against this virus as if now so more data will be required. There are experimental ways of figuring that out which is to culture the virus in lab and see if the anti-bodies of vaccinated people or recovered people can neutralise this virus and that’s what we are doing and I am sure many labs are doing in the country. We have started culturing this is virus in coming weeks we’ll know if any protection of vaccine is compromised in this case but that will take little time. Early indications are that we need not to worry in that context here.

Does government requires more vaccines to control such mutant variants?

Dr. Rakesh Mishra- It is always good to have, see vaccine is a weapon against infection. The more weapon you have the better you are these vaccines have come as a emergency approval and within a year the vaccine is available which most of us thought will not be possible so that has happened that’s a remarkable achievement of the industry the scientist and also of our regulatory body who have gone so carefully and given these approvals and they have proven to be right because the vaccine is safe now more than 5 crore people have taken vaccine and they are doing well and vaccine in UK is reducing the infection significantly that observation has already been made so it is a very good tool more is better so because these vaccines are emergency approval we don’t understand full particularly long term effect of these vaccine or age group other medical conditions, how long they will protect, which variant which one will protect all those data will emerge only after post vaccination follow up which is happening in many countries including in our country and in coming months we will understand more about the utility of different vaccines. If someone is better for one vaccine, is better for younger people other is better for older people we don’t know today but we might understand it in coming months so therefore it is very good idea to have more vaccines. We should have 6, 10 vaccines so that we ensure that pandemic is controlled and we don’t get into more problems in the future and not only that in fact we should try and vaccinate at very high rate largest number of people possible so we have enough doses we should before virus recovers and makes more variants we can eliminate the virus by vaccinating large number of people. So that is a good strategy to follow and while we do all this whether vaccination or no vaccination the covid appropriate behaviour is the most important most crucial point today. So even if we are vaccinated it will take month, month and a half to get full effect of the vaccine and the vaccine does not mean that you will not get infected it means that we will not get very sick then you make not require to go to the hospital and the lives will be saved. But virus may still hang around so therefore most import thing is to wear mask avoid clustering and do hand hygiene that if you do carefully if all of us practice this no other which variant it is we can take care of because variant cannot penetrate the mask or trouble more than few metres to go an infect unless we are clustered in a hall and infected people are spreading there.

How such mutant takes place?

Dr. Rakesh Mishra- So mutation is a natural process of these viruses like is common flu we see every year we get cough and cold may twice thrice so is the same virus but once it comes our system fights it and within a week or 10 days we get rid of it but after few months it changes it coat and comes back and infects again so it is the same thing happening with corona virus. Covid 19 virus as well it keeps changing it is very natural in fact all of us you and I are different because our insisters have some mutant which we have been inherited that’s why we look different all of have genomic chances they are originated with mutation at some point or the other and mutation if they are good for species then they persist and if they are bad then we perish similarly in virus if the mutation is bad it will be that particular virus will die and if the virus is in mutation in advantages for the virus it will adopt better and will spread more. So it is a natural process of all the living being that’s why we see variety in life.

Do you think in future it can be deadliest also if people will not take care of especially by not following the guidelines?

Dr. Rakesh Mishra- Absolutely, if we let like lakhs and lakhs of people are infected and virus is having a good time spreading all over so it will generate more variant there is no doubt about that and maybe we are lucky that the double mutant is not very dangerous at this moment but in future over this platform of double mutant all independently some other variant may emerge that may be more infectious that may not respect vaccination that may cause more mortality all those things are possible therefore get rid of this infection at large extent better we are otherwise failed at every point so our contribution is very important i.e. mask social distancing and hygiene in defeating this virus.

March 27, 2021 0 comment