World Health Organisation has termed the B.1.617 variant of COVID-19 as a variant of global concern. MUSBA HASHMI speaks with doctors to bring you a report on what makes the mutant so dangerous and the efficacy of available vaccines against this mutant

COVID-19’s raging fury seems  to not stop any time soon. Adding to the woes, is the rapid mutation of the virus. Why, you ask? The continuous mutations in the virus are increasing its severity and infection rate.

If this was not all, the B.1.617 variant, which was reportedly first found in India have been termed as a variant of global concern by the World Health Organisation.

“This new variant is said to have double mutation which means an increase in transmission as well as reduction in neutralisation, possibly stunting the ability of vaccines to curb them. That’s why there is a Tsunami of cases in India, thereby making the country the world’s second most worst-hit,” Dr Yash Javeri, Critical Care, Anesthesia and Emergency Medicine, Regency Super specialty Hospital, Lucknow, tells you.

Generally, viruses mutate all the time, as part of evolutionary biology, but some mutations weaken the virus while others may make it stronger, enabling it to proliferate faster or cause more infections. “And, latter happened in India and that’s making the whole scenario worrisome,” Javeri adds.

Many doctors are also terming the variant unique. “The variant is unique as it has both higher infectivity and higher severity. Unprotected exposure has lead to huge clusters in families and communities. Most of the time whole family or clusters are infected. Mutations in the spike gene can make the virus inherently better at infecting people or can help the virus to escape neutralising antibodies. This means if the virus mutates in the “right way”, it can reinfect someone who has already recovered from COVID-19,” he says.

While, this may answer your queries on people who are getting infected with virus in a span of just five months, this is nothing short of an alarm to not put your guards down, even if you have got COVID previously.

The variant is very infectious and easily transmissble hence, it has now passed on to fifty countries. “This virus is mutating because of expected changes in the RNA virus. The worrisome part is that this virus is directly going into lungs and hence, we are witnessing more cases of chest infection, which is increasing the need of respiratory therapy in the form of ventilators. Other symptoms of this mutant are loss of smell and taste, fever, dialarhoea and dry cough,” Dr HK Mahajan, Anaesthesiologist, Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, Vasant Kunj, tells you.

The recovery and survival rate of patients depends on the stage. “Mostly 85 per cent patients recover easily (home isolation as per the doctors advise), 5 to 10 per cent need hospitalisation (oxygen bed)  and remaining 1 per cent of the cases who are from moderate to severe need extensive care including ventilator. Asymptomatic patients get recovered early, patients with moderate symptoms get recovered in two to three weeks and severe patients takes 2 to 3 months as they have to face post-Covid syndromes too,” Mahajan explains.

While, there is not much data to prove the efficacy of the available vaccines against this mutant, Mahajan says, that Covaxin is said to be effective. “Recently, we got  a batch of Sputnik V and we are hopeful that this vaccine will also give good results,” he says and adds the only way out of this pandemic is to increase vaccination.

Not only this, but Javeri says, more mutations are likely to happen. The virus mutates constantly. “Mutations might increase or decrease lethality and infectivity and might make vaccine less efficacious. Booster doses might be needed for these mutants. The issue is multiple mutants are spreading across the globe. The challenge of mutants is ever growing and is a major deterrent in the war against COVID. Worrisome mutations could also become more common if antibody therapies aren’t used wisely,” Javeri opines.