The second wave of coronavirus in India country has subsided. Vaccination is being stepped up to prevent the threat of a third wave. But the changing nature, variants of the coronavirus is a cause for concern. The Delta variant of the virus dominated during the second wave of Covid-19 in India. Now there is a growing concern about the parent variant's most recent mutation, known as the Delta Plus or AY.01.
Professor Shahid Jamil, a leading virologist in the country and a former member of INSACOG said that the Delta Plus variant could evade both vaccine and infection immunity.
All the features found in the original Delta variant are possesses in the Delta Plus. Apart from this, K417N mutation has also been found in Delta Plus, which was found in a beta variant in South Africa, 'said Jameel.
We have an idea that the vaccine is not very effective against the beta variant. The beta variant has more ability to evade the vaccine much better than the Alpha variant or even the Delta variant, said Jameel. The South African government had returned stocks of AstraZeneca vaccines claiming that it was ineffective against the variant there. AstraZeneca vaccine is also widely used in India.