variant of coronavirus circulating in over 44 countries has now entered India, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) confirmed on Tuesday stating that the country has detected four cases of the mutant strain.
India has also reported one case of the Brazilian strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The South African (SA) variant of SARS-CoV-2 also known as B.1.351 emerged independently in South Africa.It was first reported in mid-December 2020. “The strain has multiple mutations, including in receptor binding domain of spike protein with the virus easily enters into the lung cells of human body.
Majority of cases in SA are due to the variant strain and it has spread to 44 countries. In India, the strain has been detected in four different SA.