New Delhi: The Centre on Tuesday informed that it has found two specific variants of SARS-CoV-2 -- N440K and E484K -- circulating in three states, Maharashtra, Kerala and Telangana, which have been detected with high number of mutations. However, no causal link between these two variants and the outbreak in Kerala and Maharashtra have been established so far, it added.
"The genome sequencing of positive patients have confirmed two variants- N440 K variant and E484 K variant which are detected with a larger number of mutations than the one dominating the country. They are found circulating in Maharashtra, Kerala and Telangana," informed V.K. Paul, Member (health), NITI Aayog, and head of the National Task Force on Covid-19.
However, he clarified that the variants cannot be attributed to the upsurge in the number of infections a few states have been witnessing in the country.
"There is no evidence for us to believe that these are responsible for the upsurge of the outbreak in some of the districts in Maharashtra and Kerala," he said.
Paul assured that the government is constantly monitoring the behaviour of the mutations in the country.
Meanwhile, Paul also informed that 187 individuals detected with UK strain, 6 people with South African strain and one with Brazilian strain till date.
Last week, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) found as many as 192 cases of Covid-19 affected by the new variants of mutated SARS-CoV-2 in the last two months, including four from the variant that emerged in South Africa and one from Brazil. The remaining 187 were found infected by the UK variant.
However, the number of patients infected by the UK and Brazil variants has not changed in that duration. The tally of patients infected from the imported variants of novel coronavirus has reached 194 in the country.
Meanwhile, the Health Ministry informed that over 1.17 cr vaccine doses administered across the country -1.04 cr 1st doses and 12.61 lakh 2nd doses. The active cases continue to be less than 1.50 lakh.
The cumulative positivity rate is 5.19%. This is declining continuously. Positivity rate - cumulative as well as weekly and daily - is declining across the country.
"If you look at the average of deaths taking place daily, it was 92 last week-trend of less than 100 deaths," said Rajesh Bhusan, Health Ministry Secretary.
(With Inputs From Nitesh Kumar Sahoo)