The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday announced that the South African variant of the novel coronavirus has been detected in four people in India. These four people returned to India from Africa in January 2021 and all the travelers and their contacts have been tested and quarantined. While two of the people came to India from South Africa, one came from Angola and one from Tanzania, Director General of the ICMR Balram Bhargav told the media.
Health Ministry officials said that the variant (officially named 20H/501Y.V2 or B.1.351) was reported first in mid-December 2020 and has emerged independently in South Africa. The South African variant has multiple mutations, including one receptor binding domain of spike protein, which lets the virus bind to the lungs more easily. A majority of cases in South Africa are due to the variant and the variant has spread to 44 countries. “Flights from South Africa and Brazil to India are routed through Gulf countries, are not direct to India. The Civil Aviation ministry is looking into whether any steps need to be taken,” Rajesh Bhushan, Secretary in the Health Ministry said.
ICMR-NIV is attempting to isolate and culture the SA variant, Director General of the ICMR Balram Bhargav told the media.
He also added that one case of the Brazil variant has also been found in India. The variant (officially known as 201/501Y.V3 or P.1 lineage) was detected in a Brazil returnee in the first week of February 2021. The traveler and contacts have been tested and quarantined and the virus strain has been successfully isolated and cultured at ICMR-NIV, Pune.
The Health Ministry said this variant emerged independently in Brazil in early January 2021 and is attributed to increased cases in Brazil, particularly Manaus. The mutations in the receptor binding domain of the spike protein and has increased transmissibility. The Brazil variant has spread to 15 countries. Experiments to assess vaccine effectiveness are underway, the health ministry said.
The Union Health Ministry also said that 187 cases of the United Kingdom variant (officially known as 201/SO1YVI, VOC 202012/01, or B.1.1.7) have been detected in India. This variant emerged in UK in September 2020 and has multiple mutations of spike protein
The first six cases were reported in India in the last week of December 2020 and this variant has spread to 86 countries, including India. Testing and quarantine measures for UK returnees have been augmented and all confirmed cases quarantined and treated. The contacts have been isolated and tested, the government has said.