NEW DELHI: A forum of scientific advisers has told the Indian authorities that minor mutations in some samples of the coronavirus strands could possibly evade immune response. This scientific forum of advisers known as the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genetics Consortium (INSACOG) was set up by the Government of India to study the several variations of coronavirus in India.
Scientists are trying to understand what led to the current surge of COVID-19 cases and deaths in India and studying whether or not the variant which was first detected in the country, called B.1.617, is to blame. The advisers from the forum said that even though they have been flagging the mutations, there is no reason presently to believe that these mutated viruses have been expanding or could be dangerous.
The World Health Organisation has not yet declared that the Indian variant of the coronavirus is a variant of concern as it had done for variants detected in Britain, Brazil, and South Africa. However, on April 27, WHO said that early modelling of the Indian variant of virus based on genome sequencing suggests that the B.1.617 variant has a higher growth rate than other variants of coronavirus circulating in India.
Shahid Jameel, chair of the scientific advisory group of INSACOG, said that unless researchers culture those variants of viruses and test them in a lab, no one can say for sure whether they are expanding or if they are dangerous. He said that they have flagged it to keep their eye on the ball.