Two samples in Karnataka found infected with AY.4.2

There is no need for panic since they are not new samples, but people should stay vigilant: Experts

Although two samples from Karnataka were retrospectively found to be infected with AY.4.2 — a sub-lineage of the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 — State health officials and genome sequencing experts say there is no reason to panic as of now.

Scientists have indicated that this new sub-lineage may be more contagious than the original Delta variant. AY.4.2 has now been declared as a ‘Variant under Investigation’ (VuI) in the U.K., where cases are on the rise. However, State health officials said there was no reason to panic as the two samples collected in July were retrospectively found to be infected with this sub-lineage during reanalysis of over 1,300 samples that were genome sequenced in the last few months.

“Both the persons infected are from Bengaluru and were asymptomatic. We identified a total of 50 primary contacts of these two cases and all have tested negative. We did not find any more cases so far with AY.4.2 and this evidence shows that this sub-lineage is not highly transmissible in Karnataka,” D. Randeep, State Health Commissioner, told The Hindu.