Samples of those vaxed but still critical sent for genome sequencing

Nagpur: Taking note of the variant B.1.617, the ministry of health has asked laboratories in the region to send samples of patients who have got Covid-19 infection despite being partially or fully vaccinated, and have developed moderate to severe kind of illness. The variant is supposed to have originated from Vidarbha, and responsible for the present second wave of Covid-19 in the country.
Sources in the laboratories at Nagpur told TOI that labs in Vidarbha are sending samples of patients who get Covid-19 despite one or two doses of vaccine, if their disease turns moderate to severe level despite vaccination.
“Such patients are very few in number. But the directives show that authorities are seriously behind the Vidarbha variant of Covid-19. We are sending samples to ICMR, New Delhi,” said a senior official in charge of one of the leading government labs in Nagpur.
TOI had reported on April 21 that the variant B.1.617 is significantly more infectious. The authorities are now checking whether this variant defies the antibodies developed by the vaccine. This is why the samples of vaccinated yet severe patients are sought for genome sequencing.
The present genome study of the variants show that L452R mutation, which is shared by B.1.617 (India) variant, is about 20% more infectious, with higher viral loads, and shows some immune evasion. But scientists were not expecting it to reduce vaccine efficacy. The present genome study of the samples from Vidarbha will throw light on this part of the variant.
Doctors working in Covid-19 hospitals told TOI that those who complete both doses of vaccine are quite protected after two weeks of final vaccination. Even if they get infected, they don’t need hospitalization and recover at home. But, some of those who have taken first dose of vaccine may need hospitalization and could succumb to the infection. Such cases need to be studied.