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That the Sars-CoV-2 virus, like other viruses, has a tendency to mutate is nothing new. Similarly, it is not always said that the viral variants are necessarily more “bad” and above all that they manage to “take over” the soil to the detriment of the strains already present.
For this reason, scientists remember to take with due caution the information relating to Indian variant, even if the situation in the great Asian country is extremely worrying. To date, it cannot be said with certainty whether it is more virulent and what the protective efficacy of the available vaccines will be.
Three mutations together
What characterizes the Indian variant of Sars-CoV-2? According to the researchers, a sort of “Recombination” between three different strains of the virus, resulting in a change in the characteristics of a virus that is now different from the one that was originally identified in Wuhan.
Technically the variant name is B.1.617 and is currently spreading in India, with a number of further small variations in the form of sub-variants. It must be said, however, that although it is characteristic of the great country, it has not been identified only in that area.
According to the World Health Organization, on the basis of information made available on a global database (Gisaid), the strain has also been identified in other countries, and not only in Asia.
In terms of symptoms, again on the basis of the information available, it seems that the picture may be even more serious, on average, than what is observed with other viral strains. The ailments are the usual, with involvement of the respiratory system and consequent cough and sore throat, general symptoms such as fever, extreme weakness, feeling of broken bones and headache, discomfort of the digestive system such as diarrhea.
The variants in Italy
Waiting for more to be known about the Indian variant, also in light of the truly dramatic numbers in terms of infections and deaths arriving from India, in Italy at the moment the “English” variant which, moreover, is sensitive to vaccines, appears predominant.
This is confirmed by the recent relationship of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità with the various laboratories that sequence the virus in the various regions and with the Bruno Kessler Foundation. From the last analysis, which considers what happened up to the middle of last April, over 90 percent of cases observed in our country appears to be linked to the English stock, with a further increase in diffusion compared to a month earlier: in mid-March we were around 86.7%.
Obviously we are talking about the national average: based on the samples observed in the different regions, in some areas practically all cases are attributable to this virus.
On the other hand, the circulation of the “Brazilian” virus remains at low levels: we are talking about 4% on a national scale. On the other hand, the findings of Nigerian and, in fact, Indian strains appear to be more limited (only one case reported). But it is essential, as recommended by the Higher Institute of Health, to continue to monitor how the Sars-CoV-2 viruses are changing and how the variants circulate.
And above all, it must always be remembered that while vaccinations are advancing, it is necessary to continue to have the right attention to measures to prevent contagion, to limit the cases of new infections and therefore to better manage the situation through tracking.
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