Coronavirus outbreak in India. Why and how? It's so contagious or deadly?

The Covid-19 virus-borne disease has dominated the world for more than a year. At the end of 2020, we saw a silver lining after the introduction of safe and effective vaccines. We felt vaccines have the potential to significantly reduce risk. But at the same time new mutants or mutated forms of the virus started to catch our attention.First emerged of New forms of coronavirus in Britain (b.1.1.7) and then in South Africa (b.135) and Brazil (p.1).

Since then many other and corona variants have emerged globally, which are more contagious and may also evade the immune response. We look forward to returning to the pre-epidemic normal life, but new forms of the corona virus have raised fears that many people may still be infected and even killed. Today deep investigation is needed. Exactly what are the new variants or variants of Corona? How are they produced and what is their role in the spread of the virus? Can current vaccines combat these variants and end the epidemic?

The disease caused by the corona virus starts in the same way. The virus recognizes and infiltrates host cells. His replicated viruses escape from their hosts and begin infecting new ones. This cycle continues until the virus has the remaining power to spread. The big question now is how contagious is this virus overall?

  How a new mutant form? 

The corona virus has large structures, called spikes. These spikes are made of proteins. The spike protein is like a key on the coronavirus, which opens cells that have a lock called the ACA2 receptor. This virus is able to make its copies and enter cells. The virus's genetic blueprint, known as its genome, determines the size and characteristics of the amino acids that make up the virus, including spike proteins. But every time a copy of a virus is not made the same or the same copy, there are changes, the viruses that are produced after the change are called mutants. This changed virus is mixed with the original corona virus and this suggests the difference between the two.

Genome testing is the best way to identify new mutations. Corona virus samples taken from infected patients are compared to corona virus blueprints and see how the virus is changing. Scientists try to find out where the new type of corona came from.

It is also important to know the changes in the spike protein, so that immunity against infection can be prepared and the effectiveness of vaccines can also be increased. Since the vaccines are designed to help fight the original corona virus identified in Wuhan in January 2020, an investigation into new variants is necessary. It remains to be seen what problems vaccines are facing in fighting with the newly emerging virus. Antibodies may play an important role in fighting the virus, but it is not the only antibody that is helpful in this fight.

 It's so contagious? 

Simply put, the virus that was detected in Wuhan at the beginning of the epidemic was very contagious. Shortly afterwards the virus changed and the first variant D614G came out. This variant globally

did not receive much attention, as the evolving vaccine was also working against it. The D614G originated in the mid-2020s, but by the end of 2020, several variants of the Corona were discovered. The danger now is that different types of viruses can weaken the immune system and make the epidemic worse.

Researchers were surprised to discover a variant in Britain in December 2020, which had 23 changes compared to the original virus, including eight spikes. Who together made its transition easy. Soon most of Britain and Europe were hit by a fast-spreading infection. An immediate lockdown was required there. This version of the Corona has now been revealed in about 110 countries, including the United States. This version is also found in many parts of India, where cases are increasing rapidly. Overall, this version is 50 percent more infectious than normal. The result is more severe and fatal. AstraZeneca and Novavax vaccines are also less effective than this variant.

Identified variants in South Africa and Brazil have also recorded large-scale changes. Amongst the variants found in Brazil, the effectiveness of AstraZeneca, Novavax and Johnson & Johnson vaccines has been found to be low during testing. This variant is also considered more infectious.

 What has changed?

After all, where did this epidemic come from? The virus has infected more than 130 million people. It is feared that the virus will pass through several periods of change. How many changes have been made so far, it is difficult to say. Coronavirus infection usually resolves within a few days. The longer it stays in the body, the longer the infection continues in others. People who have good immunity, they are able to fight the virus properly.

However, we also know of people who have had infections for a long time and were spreading the virus during that time. The average duration of one type of infection has been 115 days, during which the virus sustained mutations, resulting in a spike protein. Changes in the virus may not have occurred in most people, but those who did not have immunity, they did. Changes in the virus may have been promoted. Antibody therapy or plasma has also been used in the treatment. The plasma method in many people

did not work well, as they did not find strong plasma

and the corona persisted for a long time. Now we know, the major variants that are rotating are less sensitive to the plasma of people recovering from infection.

Another important point is that if more time is left between the two vaccines, then new variants of Corona can be more deadly. Dropping the second after taking one dose may also give new variants a chance to grow. Some researchers believe that the combination of long infections and low concentrations of antibodies has led to the virus turning into anxious variants.

On 25 March 2021, when cases were rising in India, India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed the public that variants identified in Britain, South Africa and Brazil have been found in samples of patients in parts of India. It's a topic of concern. The ministry also reported that a completely new version, hastily dubbed double mutants, has been identified. Analysis of samples from Maharashtra showed that there was an increase in E484Q and L452RK samples as compared to December 2020. Such mutants increase infectivity. This means it is a new, possibly more infectious version of the coronavirus, with two amino acid changes in key parts of the spike protein from viral samples. Amino acid changes are also of great concern.

 Double mutants

 What is the highly infectious double-mutant variant that has just been discovered? If the proportion of new cases in Maharashtra increases at the current 15–20 percent pace, we can be skeptical of this case. Because this was the virus, which was spreading rapidly in America. If this variant is more contagious, we would also like to know how fast it can spread. With this, we will know how many people have to be infected or vaccinated to reach collective immunity or herd immunity. Variants that are more susceptible to infection change the parameters of the epidemic and increase the collective immune threshold.

  Vaccination of the world

 We have to first get maximum vaccination of the whole world at least once. This is necessary to compete with the new variants of Corona. Dose and incoming booster dose will have to be taken. We also have to keep sequencing the genome of viruses taken from patients. If we do not search for new variants, we will not be able to deal with them.

It may seem, the corona virus has an infinite capacity to produce new variants, but this is not true. Even after so many mutations in the spike protein, we are seeing the same kind of changes many times. Must be prepared, we may only need a few different vaccines and booster shots over time to fight the corona. 

Should we take a vaccine?

There is clear scientific advice to take the vaccine we are being given right now. In practice, we should not become enemies of anything good. We are struggling to earn an immune weapon against a virus. If there is no vaccination, you are not going to get any benefit. It is better to get partial protection than to remain without any security. When you stop for a vaccine, in the meantime more versions of the corona may be born. Now is the best time to get vaccinated. The more people are getting vaccinations, the more people can get rid of us. Vaccines are our weapon.