India Found over 7,000 Coronavirus Variants

A recent study published by researchers from India's Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) on February 20, 2021, found 7,569 SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus variants in India alone.

These researchers stated 'the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 can render it more infectious via adaptive mutations that increase affinity or enhance binding to host cells, while escape mutations that can help it evade the immune response have serious implications for vaccines and therapeutics and can adversely impact the severity and mortality of the disease.'

'As multiple vaccines are rolled out in the year ahead, the virus will be subjected to new selection pressures and evolution modes. India has so far not been sequencing SARS-CoV-2 isolates to full capacity, having deposited only about 6,400 genomes of the over 10.4 million recorded cases (0.06%). Exploiting advances in genomic epidemiology by monitoring and increasing sequencing efforts following local spikes will go a long way in staying on top of mutations of concern. At the same time, their biology and effects are studied in greater detail.'

“The novel variants that are worrying many countries globally have been identified with only a low prevalence in India so far. These include variants with immune-escape E484K mutation and the N501Y mutation with a higher transmission rate. However, their apparent low prevalence might be simply because not enough sequencing has been done."

"More coronavirus genomes need to be sequenced across the country to identify the emergence of these and other new variants accurately,” said Dr. Rakesh Mishra, Director, CCMB, in an article by India Times on February 27, 2021.