Covid-19: Preventive Measures Only Solution to Reduce Risk of New Mutants - Researcher

Preventive measures are the only solution to control the epidemic situation and reduce the risk of new mutants, until herd immunity is achieved, according to physician and researcher Tayeb Hamdi.

In his analysis of the Indian double mutant, Hamdi explained that the Indian case has demonstrated the importance of respecting individual and collective preventive measures until herd immunity is achieved to reduce the risk of new variants that may be more dangerous.

The epidemic has taken its toll on India since the end of March, with more than one million cases of infection in just three days and a record 350,000 cases on April 25, he noted, adding that 2,767 deaths were recorded in 24 hours.

Most Indian states are again under quarantine and the country is trying to withstand the risk of health system collapse, due to the inability of hospital infrastructure to accommodate large numbers of critically ill people and the lack of oxygen in hospitals, said the researcher in health policies and systems.

The worsening of the epidemic situation is due to two factors, namely the appearance of a new Indian variant and a large number of public gatherings during election campaigns and certain social festivities attended by millions of Indians without taking the necessary precautions, he explained.

The Indian variant, or B.1.617, was first spotted in early October in a 31-year-old man in the State of Maharashtra, he recalled.

This variant is called “double mutant” because of two mutations present on its Spike protein, which allow the virus to penetrate the cells of the infected person, he added.

The first mutation “L452R” is similar to the one observed in the Californian variant and the second “E484Q” is close to the “E484K” mutation, detected in the Brazilian and South African variants, the expert said.

The Indian double mutant carries fifteen mutations instead of two and it is not the result of a fusion between the Californian and South African variants.

Although the Indian variant now appears to be more contagious, it is difficult to confirm that its danger or its lethality is higher, he said.

Although it causes the same symptoms as other strains, the rate of spread of the Indian variant is of concern, he explained.

A study showed that the common mutation with the California variant increases the rate of its spread by 18 to 24%, Hamdi added.

Immunity from vaccination or previous infection with the classical strain appears to prevent infection with this mutant, but this finding has not yet been confirmed, he said.

There is a lack of information on this topic because the available samples of the Indian variant are very few compared to other mutants, given the limited capacity of India to perform genomic monitoring compared to other countries such as Britain, he commented.

Nevertheless, studies are being conducted to determine all the characteristics of the Indian mutant, the expert concluded.