Bhubaneswar: The UK mutant strain of COVID-19 virus has been found in three persons in Odisha. The genome sequencing of infected persons was earlier done by the designated labs in India.
The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) gave this information Wednesday. The UK mutant strain has been detected in 736 persons from 18 states of the country including Odisha, NCDC added.
Senior Health department officials in the State have asked people not to panic over the revelation that the UK COVID-19 variant of (B.1.1.7) lineage has been detected in Odisha.
In order to keep away from the new mutant infection, it is high time to know what the epidemiological behaviour of the UK strain is.
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Epidemiological behaviour of the UK strain
The United Kingdom (UK) had identified a variant called B.1.1.7 with a large number of mutations, a US-based national institute the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) stated.
It further observed, “This variant spreads more easily and quickly than other variants. In January 2021, experts in the UK reported that this variant may be associated with an increased risk of death compared to other variant viruses, but more studies are needed to confirm this finding. An increase in the number of cases will put more strain on health care resources, could lead to more hospitalizations and potentially more deaths,” the CDC elaborated hinting on the probable risks associated with mutant UK strain B.1.1.7.
However the CDC also clarified that, “So far, studies suggest that antibodies generated through vaccination with currently authorised vaccines recognise these variants. This is being closely investigated and more studies are underway.”
PNN