E-Paper
Delta remains main variant of concern in India; Mu, C.1.2 variants not found yet: INSACOG
"Neither Mu, nor C.1.2 are seen in India so far. Delta and Delta sub-lineages continue to be the main VOC in India. AY.4 is the most frequently seen sub-lineage in recent sequences from India, as well as globally," the INSACOG said.
The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), a group of 28 laboratories in India to monitor the genomic variations of the Covid-19, has said that the Mu variant and the C.1.2 variant — the newer variants of coronavirus — have not been seen in India so far. Further, the consortium also said Delta variant and its sub-lineages remained the main variant of concern (VOC) in India and globally.
In its latest bulletin, the INSACOG said, “Neither Mu, nor C.1.2 are seen in India so far. Delta and Delta sub-lineages continue to be the main VOC in India. AY.4 is the most frequently seen sub-lineage in recent sequences from India, as well as globally."
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Noting that the Delta variant and Delta sub-lineages continue to be the main VOC globally, the bulletin also showed that AY.4 was the main global sub-lineage. The INSACOG also said that no further rise in cases pertaining to the C.1.2 variant has been noted and it seemed to have plateaued at around 2% in South Africa, where it was originally detected. Regarding the Mu variant, the INSACOG said that it remained “mostly confined” to South America.
In its previous weekly bulletins too, the INSACOG has made similar observations regarding the Delta variant and its sub-lineages. On August 23, the consortium had said, “Delta variant is the major VOC in India at this time. AY.12, a reassigned sub-lineage of Delta is being seen in many states, but the numbers need closer examination.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) added the B.1.621 variant, including B.1.621.1 variant, to the list of variants of interest (VOI) on August 30 and labelled it as “Mu.” Also, the C.1.2 has been listed along with variants that have been currently designated alerts for further monitoring by the WHO.
