What we know about the Indian variant of the virus that worries scientists

PARIS.- After the British, South African and Brazilian variants, India is also of concern given its characteristics and the rapidly deteriorating health situation in India, although there is no indication yet that it is more contagious or more resistant to vaccines.

This variant, called B.1.617, was detected in western India in October. It is described as “Double mutant” because it contains two potentially disturbing mutations, linked to the spike protein that allows SARS-CoV-2 to enter the human body.

The first, E484Q, resembles that of the South African and Brazilian variants, E484K, suspected of making vaccination less effective and increasing the risk of re-infection.

The second, L452R, is also present in a variant detected in California, and may be able to cause increased transmission. This is the first time that the two mutations have been detected in a variant with significant diffusion.

The concern is therefore that this variant is more resistant to vaccines designed to fight against previous strains of Covid-19 and, at the same time, make it more contagious.

“The 484 mutation may be partially responsible for immune failure, but it is not self-sufficient. It must eventually be associated with other mutations that we do not see in the Indian variant, “said French virologist Bruno Lina on Wednesday.

“In a week or two we will have a more quantitative estimate of the variant’s reaction to the vaccine.”said Rakesh Mishra from the Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology in India.

In addition, the critical situation in India, facing an explosion of infections and deaths despite the fact that it has so far succeeded in minimizing the impact of the pandemic, it worries many countries which are trying to mitigate it with massive vaccination campaigns.

The United Kingdom on Monday restricted seats on flights from that country to its residents, after confirming 103 cases of the “Indian” variant on its territory. For its part, France on Wednesday entered India on the list of countries whose travelers must submit to a mandatory quarantine. But There is no evidence for the moment that this variant is responsible for the worsening of the epidemic in India.

“For the time being, no link has been established between the emergence of this variant and the recent deterioration of the epidemiological situation“, Underlined the French public health agency in its last analysis on the matter, dated April 8.

“It is possible that this degradation is at least partially due to the massive congregations that have recently taken place across the country and insufficient adoption of preventive measures among the general population,” according to Public Health France.

Plus, months after being detected, this variant has not at all been imposed in the country, unlike the British for example. Even in Maharastra (central) state, where he was born, it accounted for only 15-20% of samples sequenced in March, according to the health ministry. And it is even more in the minority in the rest of India.

Agencia AFP

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