Covid-19 viruses, which are always mutable, create different versions or variants of them. Most of these mutations are not significant and some mutations reduce the risk of viral damage.
But some viruses are more contagious and harder to control with a vaccine. The new virus, first identified in India last October, is officially known as B1617.
What are the symptoms of Indian variety coronavirus?
This coronavirus causes a respiratory illness. It starts with a fever and then turns into a dry cough.
A week later breathing is difficult. Some patients have to be hospitalized and treated.
These symptoms are very similar to those caused by other common viral infections, such as the flu and the common cold. Just because a person has these symptoms does not mean that they are infected with the coronavirus.
In severe cases of coronavirus infection, pneumonia, paralysis, and even death can occur.
Older people and people with asthma, heart disease, and diabetes are at higher risk of contracting the disease.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says it can take up to 14 days for symptoms to develop from the time of infection. According to some researchers, it can take up to 24 days for symptoms to appear.
How widespread is this new virus?
There is not enough sample testing in India to determine the extent of the virus.
This variety was observed in 220 of the 361 samples collected in the western Indian state of Maharashtra between January and March.
It appears to have arrived in the UK via international flights. Since February 22, 103 such patients have been identified.
Many tourists leaving India are currently barred from entering the UK.
Although it is listed by the UK Public Health Department as one of the “varieties under investigation”, it is not yet considered serious enough to be classified as a “species under consideration”.
Why is there so little understanding of this new virus variant?
Scientists say most of the data on the Indian variety is incomplete. Only a handful of samples have been received. The samples were exchanged from 298 in India and 656 worldwide, while more than 384,000 UK variant sequences were exchanged.
Since the first case was reported from India, less than 400 cases have been reported worldwide, Professor Camille Paglia said.
Is this more dangerous?
Scientists have not yet found out whether this variety is more contagious or resistant to vaccines.
According to Dr. Jeremy Kamil, a virologist at Louisiana State University, one of the mutations is similar to the one identified in South Africa and Brazil.
This new mutation may help the virus to avoid antibodies that form in the immune system to fight the coronavirus based on the experience of a previous infection or a vaccine.
But apparently, the most troubling situation right now is with a variety identified in the UK. Originally based in the UK, it has spread to more than 50 countries.
“I have a suspicion that the Indian variety is more contagious than the UK variety. We should not panic,” Professor Jeremy Kamil said.
Did this new virus strain cause the second wave in India?
Large rallies as well as the failure to take preventative measures such as not wearing masks or maintaining social distance may have led to an increase in the number of patients in India.
As of April 15, about 200,000 patients a day are being reported in India, surpassing the 93,000 daily patients reported last year. The death toll is also rising.
“India’s population density, as well as its high population, is an all-encompassing environment in which the virus can be mutated,” said Ravindra Gupta, a professor of clinical microbiology at the University of Cambridge.
“Although there may be a causal link between the new variety, there is still no evidence,” said Dr. Jeffrey Barrett of the Wellcome Sanger Institute.
Pointing out that the new Indian variant has been around since the last half of last year, he said, “If this is the reason for the new wave in India, it will take months for it to reach this level, which means it is less transmitted than the Kent B117 variant.” He said.
Is the new vaccine a solution to this?
Scientists believe that existing vaccines may help control the variant in preventing serious diseases.
However, existing immunization programs are likely to slow the spread of the disease.
According to a paper published in the journal Nature by Professor Gupta and his other researchers, some strains will avoid existing vaccines. As a result, vaccines have to be modified to make them more effective.
“The vaccine will help many people understand the difference between not being infected and being hospitalized with a high risk of death.” Said Professor Jeremy Kamil.
“Please get the first vaccine you get. Do not make the mistake of thinking twice and hoping for a complete vaccine.” Professor Jeremy Kamil said.
How this new corona crisis in India affects the rest of the world.
As a country, India is struggling to control the population affected by the corona epidemic.
This is not an epidemic affecting only India. It is a big crisis for everyone in the world.
“The virus has no borders. A nation is not affected by birth, age, gender, or religious affiliation, “said Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, WHO Chief Scientist.
“But the unfortunate thing is that what is happening in India now is happening in other countries as well.”
With the spread of the Covid-19 virus worldwide, it becomes clear how close the world is to each other.
Circulation restrictions and multiple quarantine tests are in place, but there is still room for the virus to spread. Sometimes a tourist arrives from an area where the virus is prevalent, and he may be carrying the virus with him. Fifty passengers on a flight from New Delhi to Hong Kong were recently diagnosed with Covid-19.
There is another complaint about the large-scale spread of the virus in India. That is, many strains of the virus have been found in India.
If the corona-infected population in a country is high, it means that new strains are more likely to emerge. This is because every infection provides an opportunity for the virus to evolve. The main point that arises in that situation is that a mutation in the virus can make vaccination ineffective.
