(Dan Tri) – A new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus appearing in India is said to cause a 15-fold higher risk of death for patients.
Medical staff transfer Covid-19 patients from ambulances in Mumbai, India on May 4 (Photo: Reuters).
Amid the second wave of Covid-19 raging in India, a new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, named `N440K`, has been discovered in many areas of India.
Scientists at the Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) discovered that the N440K variant infectious strains are not the dominant strains in the second wave of Covid-19 in India.
However, the lethality of N440K is 15 times higher than previous strains, possibly even stronger than the B1.617 and B1.618 strains that are raging in India and have spread to other countries.
The N440K variant is the cause of a sudden increase in the number of new Covid-19 cases in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh in the past few weeks.
The developments related to the N440K variant are alarming, as reports indicate that this variant has spread beyond the state of Andhra Pradesh.
An Indian official said the country is still determining which variant is spreading at the moment, as samples have been sent to CCMB for analysis.
`We have observed that the new variant has a shorter incubation period and the disease progression is much faster. In previous cases, it would take a patient with Covid-19 at least a week to recover.
Experts also point out that, unlike the first epidemic, a person only needs to be exposed for a short time to be infected with the new mutated virus.
`Basically, anyone can get infected, as we have observed that the new strain is disproportionately affecting the younger population, including people who like to exercise and have high immunity,`
Hema Prakash, senior microbiologist at GITAM Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, said the best way to avoid infection is to take Covid-19 prevention measures such as wearing masks and avoiding large gatherings.
According to the announcement of the Indian Ministry of Health on May 4, in the past 24 hours, the country recorded more than 350,000 new infections, bringing the total number of people infected with Covid-19 in the country to 20.6 million cases.
Also in the past 24 hours, India had more than 3,400 additional deaths.
Many experts believe that the actual number of infected people and deaths is much higher than the officially announced figures.