CCMB scientists find different variant of SARS-CoV-2 in South India

It is N440K.It is a different variant.This is there for some time.ThisN440K was a very small number in September and October lastyear.Now it looks like it is getting a much bigger proportion.No symptoms issues with N440K, Mishra told PTI.Either this the differentvariant has become normalor the earlier one became weaker.

Scientists at the CSIR-Centrefor Cellular and Molecular Biology here have found prominentlya different variant of SARS-CoV-2 in southern parts of India,a top official of the institute said on Thursday.

Rakesh Mishra, director of CCMB, said the differentvariant (N440K) appears to be milder than the existing one andthe institute is stepping up research on it to ascertain itsprevalence in the country.

The findings came amid the concerns of a mutatedvariant of SARS-CoV-2found in the UK recently.

''It is not a new variant that we found. It is N440K.It is a different variant.This is there for some time.ThisN440K was a very small number in September and October lastyear.Now it looks like it is getting a much bigger proportion.

No symptoms issues with N440K,'' Mishra told PTI.

''Either this (the differentvariant) has become normalor the earlier one became weaker. But certainly symptom wiseif it is not equal, it (the differentone) is milder..We donthave enough data as of now.We are accelerating... I think incoming days we will do large-scale sequencing,'' he explained.

He said the variant is seen in Telangana and AndhraPradesh and other southern states and scientists have nosufficient data to prove its existence in other parts of thecountry.

Mishra said the CCMB did not see any increasednumber of cases or symptoms with this variant of the virus.

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