17 August 2020.
Introduction:
Malaysia has recently detected a new COVID-19 strain that is 10 times more infectious . It is called D614G.
Highlights:
- It started from a restaurant owner who returned from India.
- He breached the 14 day Home Quarantine.
- Malaysian Government states that the mutation has been found in atleast 3 of 45 cases.
What is D614 G?
- It is the official name given to new mutated COVID-19 virus.
- It was first detected in Europe.
- Now it is being seen in different parts of the world.
- It is being reported from Malaysia now.
- The D614 G is located within the virus protein that makes the spikes.
- These spike proteins are used by the virus to break into the human cells.
- The mutation changes are found at the 614th position of amino acids in the spike protein.
- It is between D( aspartic acid) and G ( Glycine) and hence the name –D614 G.
Report from CSIR:
- Researchers from Council of Scientific and Industrial Research have so far confirmed 73 new variants of COVID-19 in their research of three months.
What is mutation?
- It is a change in the structure of gene caused due to insertion, deletion or rearrangement of larger sections of genes.
- This can be both anthropogenic and natural.
- Mutation does not always lead to a more virulent form but can also become weak.
Findings of WHO:
- According WHO one third of COVID-19 samples show mutation.
- The WHO had earlier reported that the increase in COVID-19 cases in New York and Italy could be due to D614G.