A new "double mutant variant" of SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in Delhi, Maharashtra and some other places in addition to the three "variants of concern".

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First noticed in the UK, South Africa and Brazil, which have been found in at least 18 states and union territories, the Union Health Ministry said on 24th March. The ministry, however, said it could not be sufficiently established yet if these variants were behind the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in some states in India.

National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Director S K Singh on March 24 said that 771 cases of variants of concern (VOCs) have been detected in a total of 10,787 positive samples in 18 states and UTs which include 736 samples positive for viruses of the UK (B.1.1.7) lineage. Also, 34 samples were found positive for viruses of the South African (B.1.351) lineage and one sample for the Brazilian (P.1) lineage.

In addition to these, some other variants, including the double mutant one, have been found in some states and UTs such as Maharashtra and Delhi and need to be further analysed and investigated for establishing any epidemiological correlations. Genomic sequencing by the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics (INSACOG) and epidemiological studies are continuing to further analyse the situation. There are only three variants of concern, detected in the UK, South Africa and Brazil, he clarified. "Till now no linkage has been established to say that the surge that we are seeing in different states is direct because of only mutations", he said.

"Currently, the SARS-CoV-2 variants detected in the community have been prevalent for the last 6-8 months and they are distributed in over 70 districts of our country. Various states that are witnessing surges in cases have revealed different mutation profile, post-sequencing", Singh said at a press conference.

The Ministry of Health had established on December 25 INSACOG which is a grouping of 10 national laboratories for carrying out genomic sequencing and analysis of circulating COVID-19 viruses and correlating epidemiological trends with genomic variants. Genomic variants of various viruses are a natural phenomenon and are found in almost all countries, the ministry highlighted. Genome sequencing and analysis have been carried out on samples from arriving international travellers, contacts of those positive for VOC and community samples from most of the states at INSACOG partner laboratories, it stated. 

Such mutations confer immune escape and increased infectivity. These mutations have been found in about 15-20 per cent of samples and do not match any previously catalogued VOCs, the ministry said. "These have been categorized as VOCs but require the same epidemiological and public health response of increased testing, comprehensive tracking of close contacts, prompt isolation of positive cases and contacts as well as treatment as per National Treatment Protocol by the states and UTs", the ministry stated. This variant has also been reported from 16 other countries, including the UK, Denmark, Singapore, Japan and Australia. "As of now these can be at best said to be variants under investigation", the ministry said.

"Though VOCs and a new double mutant variant have been found in India, these have not been detected in numbers sufficient to either establish or direct relationship or explain the rapid increase in cases in some States," the ministry said.