PMO confirms no major mutation of coronavirus in India

New Delhi : Based on two pan-India studies, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has confirmed that there is no mutation of COVID-19 virus in the nation. On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting to discuss the preparation and delivery process of coronavirus vaccine.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had said that there are no signs of major mutation in the nation.

Reports said about 12,000 mutations have been documented in over 3.2 crore cases globally. Mutation is evolution that the virus goes through to adapt to various barriers.

A recent study has revealed that mutation is the reason why Covid-19 death rates are different in various states. An international team, led by researchers at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in Uttar Pradesh, analysed mutations in the gene responsible for the expression of the Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2), a protein on the surface of cells which is believed to act as a gateway for the novel coronavirus into the human body.

"If in a region more people with this haplotype will be present, the infectiousness of the virus would likely be lesser," Professor Chaubey, who led the study, told news agency PTI. For example, he noted that state-wise Maharashtra and Gujarat have the lowest frequency of the gene mutation of about 30-40 per cent while the Northeastern region with a 75-100 per cent mutation in the gene has the highest frequency.