Covid-19 Mutation 'N440K' Found In Andhra Pradesh

The resurgence of Covid-19 in the country has been spreading fear among the people, and the emergence of 19 variants of the virus has only exacerbated the uncertainty caused by the pandemic.

Scientists of the CSIR's Institute for Genomics and Integrative Biology, Delhi, have discovered that the variants have a unique "escape mutation" that allow them to evade the antibodies generated by the human immune system.

One such rapidly-spreading variant, the N440K, has been discovered in Andhra Pradesh, and has also been found in samples collected from Karnataka, Maharashtra and Telangana.

The Andhra Pradesh government is reportedly greatly concerned by the fact that the new form of the virus was found in nearly 34% of the 272 SARS-CoV-2 genomes analysed from the state.

What is most worrying, however, is the lack of information regarding the variant, as that greatly hinders the treatment and prevention of the same.

The CSIR scientists have stated that the clinical significance of the N440K is yet to be understood, and that further data and analysis will be required to investigate the efficacy of anti-Covid-19 vaccines on it.

Researchers at the CSIR have conducted genome tests on 6,370 samples collected throughout India to gain more information on the variants of the virus.