Triple mutation reported in three states of India

Amid high surge in the number of Covid cases, a new concern for the nation arises in the form of Triple Mutant that has been possibly reported from three states of Maharashtra, Delhi and West Bengal.

Triple mutation means three mutants combined to form a novel variant. The name of this variant is B.1.617.

“This is a more transmissible variant. It is making lots of people sick very quickly,” reported NDTV quoting Madhukar Pai, professor of epidemiology at McGill University. Professor Pai also stressed on the need to “keep tweaking the vaccine” and the “sequencing on war footing”. He also added that the delay in detecting the double mutation may have contributed to the current virus spurt.

More studies are required to establish how infectious or deadly the triple mutation can prove to be, for now, only 10 labs across India are involved in virus genome studies, the report added. The double mutant has resulted in increased transmission rate and is seen to impact children too with more severe pathogenicity, according to scientists.

Currently, the triple mutation has been classified in India as a “variant of interest” rather than a “variant of concern”, according to the report.