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New South Africa Covid variant triggers alert in India. List of strains you must Know
New Delhi, Nov 26: A new covid variant in South Africa, B.1.1.529, a "variant of concern" the most worrying type, like the well-known delta variant has triggered concern across the globe.
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This variant is blamed for the increasing covid cases in South Africa, ahead of the Christmas and New Year festive season. Variants of concern - which include alpha, beta and delta - have shown they can spread more easily, cause more serious disease or make current tools like vaccines less effective.
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How did this new variant arise?
The coronavirus mutates as it spreads and many new variants, including those with worrying genetic changes, often just die out. Scientists monitor COVID-19 sequences for mutations that could make the disease more transmissible or deadly, but they cannot determine that simply by looking at the virus. They must compare the pattern of disease in outbreaks to the genetic sequences and sorting out whether there is an actual connection can take time. Some scientists have speculated that the new variant arose in an immune-compromised patient because of the large number of mutations.
As India sounds alert over South Africa covid variant, let us have a look at the variants of concern.
Delta: B.1.617.2
First identified: India
Spread: Spreads more easily than other variants.
Symptoms: May cause more severe cases than the other variants
Vaccine: Vaccine breakthrough infections are expected, but vaccines are effective at preventing most infections.
Delta Plus: AY.4.2
First identified: India
Symptoms: May cause severe illness and death, more severe cases than the other variants
Vaccine: There is no evidence that the AY.4.2 variant is resistant to the vaccines that are currently available.
Currently, the delta variant remains by far the most transmissible form of COVID; it accounts for more than 99 per cent of sequences shared with the world's biggest public database.
ALPHA: B.1.1.7
First identified: England
Symptoms: 70% more transmissible, spreads easily, high risk of deaths
Vaccine: It is highly unlikely that a single new mutation in the Alpha variant will make the vaccine less effective.
BETA: B.1.351
First identified: South Africa
Symptoms: Spread more easily than the original virus, no serious illness
Vaccine: All available vaccines effective against Beta
GAMMA: P.1
First identified: Brazil
Symptoms: More contagious, infects people who have already had COVID-19
Vaccine: All available vaccines effective against Gamma
LAMDA: C.37
First identified: South America
Symptoms: community transmission
Vaccine: All available vaccines effective against Lamda
B.1.1.529: Not named yet
First identified: South Africa
Symptoms: large number of mutations, highly transmissible
Vaccine: Potentially evades vaccines, more researches underway.