India's 'double mutant' a cause for concern, says K VijayRaghavan

'Double mutant' refers to an entirely new variant that has characteristics of two already identified variants

The number of new coronavirus cases in India hit a record daily high with over two lakh infections in a day, while the active cases surpassed the 14-lakh mark, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday.

Amid such a scenario, K VijayRaghavan, the principal scientific adviser of the Government of India has said in an interview with Hindustan Times that the so-called “double mutation” coronavirus found in India can be considered a variant of concern (VOC) because of its significant spread and how some of the mutations are known to behave.

VijayRaghavan said, "It’s reasonable to say that the variant (the “double mutation” variant) is of concern because it has been found in a significant number of people. And it’s not just because it’s been found in a certain number of people but we know that these particular mutations have (also) got physiological effects on our context.”

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As per epidemiologists, "double mutant" refers to an entirely new variant that has the characteristics of two already identified variants.

Scientists have warned that delays in testing samples of Covid-19 variants could damage everything from vaccine efficacy to effective hospital treatments in India.

On March 4, the Union Health Ministry said that the new "double mutant" variant of the SARS-CoV-2 was detected in Delhi, Maharashtra and some other places in addition to the three variants of concern (VOC) -- first noticed in the UK, South Africa and Brazil -- that have been found in at least 18 states and Union Territories.

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VijayRaghavan is the first government official who has said that the variant has become a cause for concern. Last month, Ramanan Laxminarayan, founder of the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy in New Delhi told Reuters that so far there wasn't enough evidence about this new variant. “We have no evidence (as yet) that these variants are more transmissible or more lethal than what we already have," he added.

Even the Union Health Ministry said last month that though VOCs and a new double mutant variant were found in India, they were not detected in numbers sufficient to either establish a direct relationship or explain the rapid increase in cases in some states.

But one month down the line, the Covid-19 scenario in India has changed drastically.

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He added that vaccines may still offer protection from variants of concern. “The vaccines at hand sometimes offer reduced protection to mild and moderate disease but they still afford protection to severe disease,” he said.

Also, he believes that the Covid-19 surge in India will begin to slow down in a week or two because of the strict curbs implemented in various states.

The tally of Covid-19 cases in the country stands at 1,40,74,564 while the death toll is at 1,73,123.