COVID-19: UK Variants, Double Mutant Big Worry For Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Mutated SARS-CoV-2 strains flagged by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) as a ‘variant of concern’ could fuel a big surge in COVID-19 cases in Odisha. The state has started reporting nearly 500 cases on a daily basis.

According to sources, three samples each from the state have recently been found infected with the highly infectious UK strain and the double mutant that was first detected in Maharashtra, the epicentre of coronavirus resurgence in India.

Out of more than 300 samples sequenced in March, three samples were found positive for the UK (B.1.1.7) strain and three more with the E484Q and L452R mutations which confer immune escape and increased infectiousness, reported The New Indian Express.

In December 2020, three samples were found carrying the UK strain and one with the double mutation besides the five samples that were detected with the N440K variant that is associated with immune escape.

Odisha has reported 471 new cases from 27 districts and one death in the last 24 hours. The cases continue to soar in districts bordering Chhattisgarh as Sundargarh recorded the highest 85 cases followed by Kalahandi (50), Nuapada (42), Khurda (40), Balangir (36), Sambalpur (27), Jharsuguda (23), Cuttack (22) and Nabarangpur (17).

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