The new strain observed in some areas of Maharashtra is a concerning news. Genomic analysis of strains show that these are different from UK and South African strains and appear to be highly infectious. We need to be very careful in limiting the spread of this strain in India by strict isolation and contact tracing of the affected patients. Also we cannot afford to be lax in our attitude to not carry on Covid19 appropriate behavior like regular hand sanitization, wearing a mask and maintaining physical distancing as it will lead to disastrous consequences, ” says Dr Subhrajyoti Bhowmick, India’s leading clinical trial specialist and Director with Peerless Hospital, Kolkata. Dr Bhowmick has been in the forefront of clinical trials of vaccines and has been regularly updating on findings as well as developments in the vaccination program.
The new strain of the virus is also causing pneumonia in patients in the early stages of the disease. The death rate has not increased so far but it can increase anytime and primarily the spike in Covid-19 cases is because people are taking the disease very lightly.
