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New Covid strain in India triggers early pneumonia

Mumbai - Mutations similar to that found in South African, Brazilian variants.

Published: Fri 19 Feb 2021, 12:26 PM

Updated: Fri 19 Feb 2021, 1:22 PM

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A new strain of coronavirus that’s spreading in the Indian states of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh is claimed to more infectious than the previous Covid-19 strains, say experts.

According to a report in the Times of the India, the new strain of the virus that's spreading in the districts of Amravati and Akola is said to be more transmissible and can lead to trigger pneumonia early in Covid patients.

Dr Subhash Salunkhe, an adviser to the state, said the spread could be from Nagpur to Aurangabad. “Nagpur to Aurangabad is a massive stretch, but with great contact and connectivity. We have a window of 15 days to contain this outbreak before it spreads to the rest of the state and country,” the expert was quoted as saying in the report.

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About 350 out of 700 people tested positive in an Amravati centre. The rise in the number of cases is unusual said the expert, adding that the new strain has affected an “isolated small pocket”.

Test results of some patients in Amravati showed ‘unique mutations’, including one found in South African and Brazilian variants.

A Maharashtra government official, not wanting to sound the alarm bells yet, has said the mutations found in the samples are not new to country. “There are over 240 mutations found so far in India. We don’t need to panic about this. Contact tracing and other public health measures will be taken to check the spread of cases,” he said in the report.

AFP

AFP



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