Mutation

New COVID variant C.1.2 may be more infectious and evade vaccine protection, shows study

This new variant was first detected in South Africa in May and has already spread to China, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mauritius, England, New Zealand, Portugal and Switzerland

Delta Plus rising in Maharashtra: How this variant has affected the world so far

A new and slightly changed version of the Delta coronavirus variant has already spread to 11 countries so far, including the US and UK, raising fears that it could drive the next wave of infections across the world

Explainer: What is genome sequencing and surveillance? Why is it important?

Genomic surveillance allows researchers to examine the genome sequence of the viral strains infecting the population.

Double mutant SARS-CoV-2 virus found in over 60 percent of samples in Maharashtra survey

However, as this is a very small size, experts say it cannot be considered as an indication of spread of the mutated virus.

Double mutation SARS-CoV-2 variant emerges in India: How should our COVID response change?

Some variants can escape naturally induced immunity, vaccine manufacturers will need to develop better vaccines to cover these new variants.

How will COVID-19 vaccines adapt to the new COVID-19 variants emerging?

If a variant with a mutated spike protein crops up that the original vaccine can’t recognize, companies would swap out that piece of genetic code for a better match.

World is in need of a universal coronavirus vaccine, warn scientists

They believe there is a risk that SARS-CoV-2 may mutate in ways that will render current vaccines less effective or even become ineffective.

No proof Indian COVID-19 vaccines effective against South Africa, Brazilian variants, says researchers

Covaxin may offer protection against the new mutants because it protects against the whole virus while Covishield is targeted at only one protein of the virus.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus just won’t stop evolving and disappear when the vaccine arrives

Vaccines offer the body’s immune system a glimpse of the virus, and then the immune system builds a broad attack.

CRISPR gene editing can cause unwanted changes in human embryos, study finds

Instead of addressing genetic mutations, the CRISPR-Cas9 technology appeared to wreak genetic havoc in about half the specimens that the researchers examined