One dead in Tripura as officials raise concerns over mutant strain

AGARTALA:

A patient in Tripura succumbed to the dreaded double mutant Indian variant of the COVID-19 virus, which wreaked havoc in Maharashtra.

Health officials appeared quite alarmed over the spread of the double mutant SARS-CoV-2 variant in the state, stating that 14 of 166 people detected with infection over the past 24 hours were carrying the new, more infectious variant identified as B1617 by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

At least 11 sequencing reports out of the 19 samples sent to the National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, Kalyani for genome sequencing showed likely behaviours of the double mutant strain.

“The doctors acknowledged all these variants as VOC (Variant of concerns),” senior virologist Professor Tapan Majumder said on Thursday evening after the detailed sequencing report reached the Tripura health department.

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“A patient having complications caused by the double mutant variant has succumbed to the virus,” Majumder said.

“These strains have been imported from other parts of the country. We need to be more cautious as the situation is turning harsh with every passing day. Panic can not be a solution. We all have to maintain the prescribed behaviours so that we can win over the virus,” Majumder added.

(Edited by Ridhika Joshi)

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