First Double-Mutation Covid-19 Variant From India Detected In Indian Citizen Entering M’sia

Malaysia recorded the first case of entry of the Covid-19 variant from India, a double-mutation known as B.1.617.1. Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba, as reported by Berita Harian, said that the mutation was identified as a result of whole-genome sequence analysis (WGS) after the screening was done at the country’s main entrance.

Without elaborating further, he said cases of double-mutation which is understood to account for almost 60 per cent of the massive outbreaks in India has been detected in an individual from the country. He said,

“We detected the first case of the Indian variant, a double-mutation known as B.1.617.1 through the entry of an Indian citizen when conducting screening at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).”

The double-mutation variant, B.1.617.1 was first discovered in India on April 27 and a report by the Global Initiative on the Sharing of All Influenza Data (GISAID) found it to be contagious in at least 17 countries around the world, three days later. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that the double-mutation from India had a higher growth rate of the Covid-19 virus, compared to existing variants in the republic, thus feared to be the main cause of the sudden increase in infections in India recently.

 

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