17th April 2021
Musings....... B. 1. 617 This seeming incoherent set of alphabet and numbers is literally the reason for the so called second wave of the Pandemic in India. Believe it or not, B. 1. 617 is the name given to the Double Mutant strain which is now the prevalent strain in India, according to National Institute of Virology (NIV) data from 10 states. The B. 1. 617 variant of SARS- CoV-2 carries two mutations E484Q and L452R. The two mutations are found in the virus spike protein, which helps to bind the virus to the human cells receptors and gain entry into the host cell. The E484Q and L452R mutations have been found separately in many variations, but now have been found together for the first time in India making it a double mutant. The E484Q mutation is similar to mutations found in UK and the South African variant. The L452R mutation is found in California variant which is a fast spreading variant. The mutation has the inherent capability to increase the binding power of spike pro