MUTATIONS

More in MUTATIONS

• Mutations have made monkeypox 'smarter': Indian-origin scientists

  The findings of the study, published in the Journal of Autoimmunity, can help in modifying the existing drugs used to treat monkeypox or developing new medicines that can counter the mutations thus reducing symptoms of the disease and curbing the spread of the virus.

  

• New COVID vax shows promising results, to be less sensitive to mutations

  In this newly published study, the researchers show that the vaccine protects mice against serious infection from the beta variant of SARS-CoV-2, a variant that can evade the immune response, and activates immune cells (T cells) that recognise the coronavirus found in bats.

  

• Experts say future Covid waves unlikely to have serious impact in India; some call for easing mask mandate

  India on Sunday recorded 1,761 fresh COVID-19 cases, the lowest in around 688 days, and 127 deaths. The active cases also declined further to 26,240, according to government data.

  

• Genomic sequencing: Here's how researchers identify omicron and other COVID-19 variants

  When an organism replicates, it makes a copy of its entire genome to pass on to its offspring. Sometimes errors in the copying process can lead to mutations in which one or more building blocks are swapped, deleted or inserted.

  

• Omicron now has three sub-variants

  According to Phylogenetic Assignment of Named Global Outbreak Lineages (Pangolin) that assigns lineages under 'Pango lineage' system to various viruses, including the novel coronavirus that causes Covid-19, the third outlier of Omicron was found from a sample collected from England on December 3.

  

• What's the Mu variant? And will we keep seeing more concerning variants?

  If Mu was truly a really bad variant, we would have expected to have started to see indications of this, and we haven't yet.

  

• ‘Public behaviour, vaccines to decide third wave’: AIIMS Delhi director Dr Randeep Guleria

  Dr Guleria said the only unpredictable factor that may affect the trajectory of the third wave could be constant mutations of the virus. “However, I believe the impact of the third wave may not be as bad as the second wave. But people should understand we are yet to overcome the second wave as India is still reporting about 40,000 cases a day,” said Dr Guleria.

  

• COVID-19 Delta variant detected in 96 countries, says WHO

  The Delta variant, also referred to as a "double mutant" because it carries two mutations, is 55 per cent more transmissible than the Alpha variant (initially detected in the United Kingdom) and will rapidly become the dominant strain of coronavirus globally, said the WHO.

  

• Delta may outfox even fully vaccinated: Doctors

  Covid could turn more severe for those affected during the third wave of the pandemic, including for around 5% to 10% of third-wave patients who would be fully vaccinated by then, because of mutations like Delta and Delta Plus, experts have warned.

  

• 21 highly infectious Delta-plus cases found in Maharashtra, 2 in Mumbai

  The highly infectious Delta variant (B.1.617.2) that is believed to have driven the second wave has further mutated to form the Delta plus or ‘AY.1’ variant. Delta-plus carries all mutations present in Delta—that was first detected in India and is currently found in 80 countries—plus an additional one ‘K417N’.

  

• Delta variant's ability to evade antibodies could be the cause of some Covid reinfections

  A paper published by a group of researchers at Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre currently being peer-reviewed, claims that the changes in the Delta variant (B.1.167.2) made it ‘escape’ the antibodies gained by a person either through earlier infection or through intervention like vaccination. Researchers have advocated genomic sequencing for better monitoring of new variants.