Indian labs widen net for new form of Delta variant

Strain allows virus to escape antibodies, similar to virulent South African variant

An emerging form of the Delta variant that allows the coronavirus to “escape” antibodies, in recently approved treatment regimes, is appearing on the radar of Indian scientists. Five Indian labs have submitted data on this modified variant in May and June to GISAID, a global repository of coronavirus variants. Public Health England (PHE), a United Kingdom body, has also said that of the 63 genomes in its repository as of June 7, six were from India. This doesn’t, however, mean that only six instances of this form of the virus exist in India. Evidence of the mutant have been found in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Telangana. Called AY1 or B.1.617.2.1, it’s a variant of the Delta (B.1.617.2) but with a mutation called K417N, which has previously been identified in the Beta variant — first identified in South Africa. This is an international variant of concern, marked by being highly infectious and significantly able to reduce the potency of vaccines.