The first case of the so-called Indian coronavirus variant has been detected in Sindh, provincial minister for health Dr Azra Pechuho confirmed on Friday.
Speaking to Geo News, Dr Pechuho said that the South African variant of coronavirus is also rapidly spreading in Karachi.
“So far, seven cases of the South African variant and one case of the Indian COVID-19 variant have been detected in the province,” Dr Pechuho said.
Serological research was carried out on 57 samples which revealed that out of the total, the South African and British variants comprised 71% and 20% cases in Karachi, respectively, the health minister said.
She said that most of the cases had been reported in children below the age of 2 years, adding that parents should get themselves inoculated as soon as possible so that they do not contract the virus from their children.
It may be recalled that the wife of one of the 12 Indian diplomats, who had recently visited Pakistan, had tested positive for coronavirus. All 12 Indian officials, along with their families, have been directed by the government to complete the quarantine period.
What we know about the Indian variant of coronavirus
The B.1.617 variant contains two key mutations to the outer “spike” portion of the virus that attaches to human cells, according to senior Indian virologist Shahid Jameel.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said the predominant lineage of B.1.617 was first identified in India last December, although an earlier version was spotted in October 2020.
The UN agency and Britain have classified it as a “variant of concern”, along with variants first detected in Britain, Brazil and South Africa. Some initial studies showed the Indian variant spreads more easily.
“There is increased transmissibility demonstrated by some preliminary studies,” Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s technical lead on COVID-19, had said on May 10, adding that more information is needed about the Indian variant to understand how much of it is circulating.
British health officials said on May 7 there was evidence it spreads more quickly than the original version of the virus and could spread as quickly as the so-called “Kent” variant which fuelled England’s second wave of infections.
