The Eta variant of Corona was found on 5 August in Mangaluru, Karnataka. According to reports, this variant has been found in a person who came from Dubai. Earlier in April 2020 also, the Virology Lab of NIMHANS claimed to have found two cases of the Eta variant. WHO has considered it as Variant of Interest (VoI).
Till now, only Alpha and Delta variants have been affecting India. For the second wave, the delta variant has been held responsible. In such a situation, many questions have arisen due to the availability of the Eta variant. Is it dangerous? Is the vaccine effective against it? Can it bring third wave in India? Let's know….
According to Dr. Gagandeep Kang, the country's renowned Vaccine Scientist and Professor of Christian Medical College, Vellore, mutations in the virus are not new. It's like a spelling mistake. Viruses modify the genome to survive longer and infect as many people as possible. Similar changes are happening in the coronavirus as well.
According to epidemiologist Dr. Chandrakant Laharia, the more the virus multiplies, the more mutations will occur in it. The changes that occur in the genome are called mutations. This causes the virus to appear in a new and modified form, which is called a variant.
The WHO's new report states that the longer the virus remains among us, the more serious its variants will be expected to emerge. If this virus infects animals and goes on to become more dangerous variants, then it is going to be very difficult to stop this epidemic.
Yes. So far it has been proven that the vaccine is effective against alpha, beta, gamma and delta variants. This effectiveness varies. Some studies say that it is necessary to take both doses to avoid variants. Especially of Covishield being installed in India. Only then it effectively builds a layer of protection against the Delta and other variants.
The Eta variant is also known as Lineage B.1.525. The E484K mutation is present in the eta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which was previously found in gamma, zeta and beta variants. The good thing is that it does not have the N501Y mutation present in alpha, beta, gamma, which makes these variants dangerous. According to reports, unlike the alpha variant, it also lacks the amino acids histidine and valine at positions 69 and 70.
WHO says that the Ita variant is completely different from other variants. This is because of the presence of E484K and F888L mutations. Till now this virus strain has not been recognized as highly infectious like alpha and delta variants.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the initial cases of the eta variant were found in the United Kingdom and Nigeria in December 2020. Apart from Karnataka in India, this variant was also found in Mizoram in July this year.
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