Coronavirus: Double mutant is the most common COVID variant in India, as per India's genome data

At a time when COVID-19 cases are on a surge and continue to rise, it is natural to feel alarmed and anxious at the same time. The threat posed by the coronavirus mutations also adds to the chaos and the confusion, pushing scientists and medical professionals to look into the matter.

As per a genome sequencing data, it has been revealed that the double mutation coronavirus may be one of the most common and prevalent forms of COVID variant in India. This comes at a time, when the number of COVID cases has reached new heights.

Now termed as B.1.617, the double mutant variant refers to the merging of two mutations of a virus strain that go on to form a third, super infectious strain. The B.1.617 variant contains mutations from two separate virus variants, namely E484Q and L452R.

The first case of double mutation in India was discovered in the state of Maharashtra.

Currently, India is combating the onset of the 'double mutant' variant, recently discovered in the country.

With the help of genome sequencing and sample testing, scientists have been able to detect a sharp rise in the E484Q (glutamate is replaced by glutamine at the 484th spot of the spike protein) and L452R (substitution of leucine with arginine at the 452nd position) mutations since December. It is believed that the double mutant variant has the ability to surpass the immune system and be highly resistant to antibodies.

India's genome data submitted by the Indian scientists to a global database has found that the double mutation coronavirus - B.1.617 - is now the most common sample sequenced before April 2 at 24 per cent.

The second most prevalent variant is the UK variant, or B.1.1.7, at 13% of the samples, as per the assessment by scientists from Scripps Research.

However, the researchers at outbreak.info noted that this data may not show the exact prevalence pattern of the variants. “SARS-CoV-2 (hCoV-19) sequencing is not a random sample of mutations. As a result, this report does not indicate the true prevalence of the mutations but rather our best estimate now," they clarify.

According to Anurag Agarwal, director, Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, one of the ten labs under Insacog., “Nearly 60 to 80% of the samples from Maharashtra have the variant; the prevalence must be similar in Gujarat. Elsewhere, it is under 10 to 20%. From barely existing in December, it is now found pretty much everywhere we look. We have a separate column for the variant for every state now."

“We have a fairly good idea about which mutated variant is prevalent where; but the important thing is all of them are increasing,” he elaborated.

He added by saying, “The B.1.617 variant is prevalent towards the West in Maharashtra and Gujarat. The B.1.1.7 variant is prevalent in the North in Punjab. In South India, the one with N440K mutation is prevalent but that seems to be quiet. Eventually, one of the other variants will reach there. And, in the East, we do not have a particular variant but the South African variant is fairly common in Bangladesh, causing almost 80% of the cases so that might cross over to India. That will be troublesome for the AstraZeneca vaccine."

According to the outbreak.info report, the B.1.617 variant has been found in 408 sequencing samples worldwide. 265 are in India from among the 8455 that have been looked into.

Given that the double mutation carries the genetic code from two other mutations, E484Q and L452R, it becomes all the more easy to break into the human immune system and invade the organs. Additionally, as the new variants tend to alter the structure of the spike protein, it is more efficient in attaching itself to the human host cells and multiplies swiftly, doing more damage than an originally COVID strain.