In Mumbai, the civic administration is doing genome surveillance of the Sars-Cov-2 virus. They are analyzing a set of 370 sequences for the fourth time. They are trying to see if they fall under the AY.4.2 variant.
Suresh Kakani, Additional Municipal Commissioner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), said that the reason to conduct genome sequences is to get a confirmation that there is no subtype of Delta variant in Mumbai, which can be more infectious. They have asked for a list of international travelers who are returning from countries or states where the AY.4.2 variant is found and have taken samples of International travelers to check the AY.4.2 variant.
He further said that they need to be more clear about the new variant before Diwali. In the last three genome sequence reports, they did not find any new mutants. The country is still in Delta mode, and as long as the Delta variant is still dominant. Therefore, it is unlikely that any derivatives such as AY.4.2 will pose a big threat to India.
Dr. Santosh Bansode, Head of Department, Emergency Medicine, said that a fully inoculated person would get mild symptoms of AY.4.2; however, if they transfer the infection to an unvaccinated person, then they will face severe symptoms.
Last week, health experts had warned Mumbaikars of the new Delta plus sub-variant, AY.4.2. They have urged the citizens to follow all the COVID-19 protocols.
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