New Covid Strain Detected By Pune Virologists, Not Found In Indian Cases

The new Covid strain was detected in samples from two travellers from Brazil but not from anyone in India.

A new Covid variant that needs more antibodies to fight it and has more severe symptoms has been found by the National Institute of Virology in Pune. The variant - B.1.1.28.2 - was detected in samples from two travellers from Brazil but not from anyone in India. The new variant is seen to have "increased severity" and higher levels of antibodies are needed to neutralise the B.1.1.28.2 variant, NIV sources told NDTV. The strain was found in people who came from Brazil and the UK. "We found it earlier but it is not in circulation in the country now so we do not see it as a matter of public health importance," the sources said. "We at NIV interrogate variants for their genetic features and study how well they bind to antibodies generated after vaccination and natural infection. The pathogenicity evaluation of the virus shows increased disease severity," they added.