India successfully isolates and cultures new U.K. variant of coronavirus
Officials from the Indian Council of Medical Research Study (ICMR) stated that the U.K. variant of coronavirus is isolated and cultured at the National Institute of Virology with all significant changes. The virus was isolated from the clinical samples collected from UK-returnees. The virus spreads from person to person more easily, and cause milder or more critical condition in patients.
ICMR tweeted that no other nation has yet claimed to isolate and culture the UK-variant of coronavirus. Vero cell lines were used to culture this new variant of coronavirus.
Culturing is the procedure through which cells are grown under a controlled environment.
According to the data from the United Kingdom, the variant of the virus is 70% more infectious than the previous one.
The Union Health Ministry stated that in India, 29 passengers from the UK were tested positive for the new variant of SARS-CoV-2. The new UK variant genome of SARS-CoV-2- B.1.1.7, which is a lot more contagious, has actually urged comprehensive contact tracking for co-travelers, family members, and others of those who have traveled to the UK in the past 38 days.
33,000 passengers arrived at different airports
in India from the UK from 25 November to 23 December 2020. All these travelers are being traced and subjected by states to do RT-PCR tests to detect COVID-19.India successfully cultures the new viral strain on the horizon (UK-variant of SARS-CoV-2). #ICMRFIGHTSCOVID19 #IndiaFightsCOVID19 #CoronaUpdatesInIndia #COVID19 #Unite2FightCorona @MoHFW_INDIA @PIB_India @DrHVoffice @drharshvardhan @AshwiniKChoubey @icmr_niv pic.twitter.com/vaCMQMSHOJ
— ICMR (@ICMRDELHI) January 2, 2021
The health ministry stated that the UK variant genome was detected in 3 samples in NIMHANS, Bengaluru, 2 in the CCMB, Hyderabad, and 1 in the NIV, Pune.
The mutant virus has modified spike proteins, which helps it enter the host cell and infect it. The COVID-19 vaccines are designed based on the spike proteins.
Other countries that have reported the virus’s new variant are Netherlands, Australia, Denmark, Sweden, Canada, Singapore, France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Lebanon, and Japan.
