Highlights
- Omicron and its sub-lineages are the predominant mutations that are circulating in India.
- Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) released a report that said so.
- The COVID-19 cases are rising, but hospitalization and deaths are still less, it said.
Covid 19 cases: Omicron and its sub-lineages are the predominant mutations that are circulating in India, revealed a report released by the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) after it reviewed data on genomic surveillance of variants.
"Presently, only Omicron and its sub-lineages are the predominant circulating variants in India," sources told ANI today. "The COVID-19 cases are rising, but hospitalization and deaths are still less," said sources. "We review the data every week, but there is no need to panic at all because hospitalization hasn't increased and no new variant has been found so far," added sources.
According to the bulletin issued on July 11 by INSACOG, Omicron and its sublineages continue to be the dominant variant in India. "BA.2.75 sub-variant has acquired more mutations in spike protein and other genes of the SARS-CoV-2," and it also mentioned that the variant is being closely monitored. Its updated bulletin will be released soon.
"COVID-19 is a cyclical viral disease like many others. Immunity from infection is short-lived for coronaviruses, unlike measles or chicken pox viruses. Newer Omicron sub-lineages are especially capable of leaping past the immunity generated by older versions of the same variant," said Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, co-Chairman of the National Indian Medical Association's COVID-19 task force.
"The longer we are past the recent infection or the last vaccine dose, the more the number of susceptible people in a region. Many people are not following basic precautions now, and therefore making the virus spread by aerosol is easier. The public must understand that the virus has not gone away," he said further.
INSACOG is jointly initiated by the Union Health Ministry of Health and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
(With ANI Inputs)
