Coronavirus Variants Classified
Source : Indian Express
GS II : Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources
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Why in News ?

In a recent research there are a number of variants in corona virus identified.

• Two variants from the B.1.617 lineage identified in UK an Indian variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
• In March, India’s Health Ministry said that a new double mutant variant.

Key Facts

• What is a Variant ?
  • Variants of a virus have one or more mutations that differentiate it from the other variants that are in circulation.
• Emergence and Spread
  • Most mutations are causing damage for the virus while some make it easier for the virus to survive.
  • SARS-CoV-2 virus is evolving fast because of the scale at which it has infected people around the world.
  • High levels of circulation mean it is easier for the virus to change as it is able to replicate faster.
  • B.1.617 variant of the virus has two mutations, referred to as E484Q and L452R.
  • Both are separately found in many other coronavirus variants, but they have been reported together for the first time in India.
• Coronavirus Variants
  • The variants emerging from the B.1.617 lineage are designated as Variants Under Investigation (VUI).
    • three variants first identified in India are called VUI-21APR-01, VUI-21APR-02 and VUI-21APR-03) by (Public Health England) PHE.
  • US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) classifies variants into three categories– variant of interest (VOI), variant of concern (VOC) and variant of high consequence.
    • B.1.1.7, B.1.351, P.1, B.1.427, and B.1.429 variants circulating in the US are classified as variants of concern.

Variants Under Investigation (VUI) : A variant with specific genetic markers that have been associated with changes to receptor binding, reduced neutralization by antibodies generated against previous infection or vaccination, reduced efficacy of treatments, potential diagnostic impact, or predicted increase in transmissibility or disease severity.

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