3rd mutant flagged in 4 States

New Delhi: With Covid cases skyrocketing with every passing day, a third mutation in the B.1.167 has been identified.

Sources said the Health Ministry was last week briefed about the possibility of a double mutant variant developing another significant mutation and becoming a "triple-mutant." And three different varieties have been detected.

Two of the triple-mutant varieties have the new mutation in the spike protein and have been found in samples collected from Maharashtra, Delhi, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh – all second surge states.

A third version of the strain has the mutation outside the spike protein but is still considered significant and has been observed in 17 samples, again from Maharashtra, Delhi and West Bengal.

Sources said that West Bengal seems to be becoming the hotspot for such mutations. The new triple mutant could make the virus even more capable of evading human immune response.