Arushi Bidhuri
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Written By: Arushi Bidhuri | Updated : September 22, 2021 11:30 AM IST
Covid Delta Variant AY.4 Causes Concern As Cases Surge In Maharashtra
Even though the overall cases in India are declining, several states continue to report a high number of Covid-19 cases. Authorities have attributed these breakthrough infections in India to the highly transmissible Delta variant. It has been reported that cases of one of the derivatives of the Delta variant known as AY.4 are on a rise in Maharashtra. However, scientists believe that it's too early to say that the AY.4 variant is a matter of concern or not.
According to the scientists, incidences of AY.4, one of the sub-lineages of the Covid-19 delta variation, are on the rise in India, notably in Maharashtra.
According to reports, AY.4 was found in 1 per cent of the samples tested from Maharashtra in April as part of the Indian Covid-19 Genome Surveillance. It was reported that the proportion of the cases increased from 2 per cent in July to 44 per cent in August. Several cases previously classified as Delta are now being reclassified as AY.4 and AY.12, which could explain the recent spike in new cases within the state's vaccinated population. The majority of the AY.4 sub-lineage has been found among persons who have only received a single shot.
The report suggests that the Delta (B.1.617.2) was identified in 111 (36 per cent) of the 308 samples analysed in August, with AY.4 found in 137 (44 per cent). According to the surveillance report, the Delta and Delta sub-lineages were the main variants of concern globally, while AY.4 was the leading global sub-lineage.
Samples sent for genome sequencing from people infected by Covid-19 in Bengaluru were found to have three lineages Delta, AY.4 and AY.12. Researchers at Strand Precision Medicine Solutions in their report found as many as 133 mutations in the spike protein. As per the report, people between the ages of 19 and 45 were found to contain 52 per cent of the total samples that possessed the Delta (B.1.617.2) variant. It was also claimed that the same lineages were found to be prominent among children, vaccinated individuals and those not vaccinated.
Viruses are constantly evolving due to mutation. A variation of the original virus is one that has one or more additional mutations. Several strains of the virus (SARS-CoV-2) that causes coronavirus illness 2019 (COVID-19) are currently causing alarm in the United States, the worst-affected country in the world. However, a variant becomes a cause of concern if we can prove that a variation has increased transmissibility, produces severe infection, and/or can induce breakthrough infection.
So far, this particular lineage of the Delta variant has not been declared a cause of concern in Maharashtra, or anywhere.
(with inputs from agencies)
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