Singaporean authorities warn children susceptible to new COVID-19 variants, shut schools
All primary, secondary and junior colleges will shift to full home-based learning from Wednesday until the end of the school term on May 28
Reuters | May 17, 2021 | Updated 14:26 IST
Singapore warned on Sunday that the new coronavirus variants, such as the one first detected in India, were affecting more children, as the city-state prepares to shut most schools from this week and draws up plans to vaccinate youngsters. All primary, secondary and junior colleges will shift to full home-based learning from Wednesday until the end of the school term on May 28.
Now, Indian double mutant Covid strain detected in Assam
Before Assam, the double mutant strain was founda in Maharashtra, Delhi and West Bengal
Friday April 23, 2021 8:16 PM, IANS
Guwahati: Amid the rising number of Covid-19 cases in Assam, samples of the double mutant variant of novel coronavirus have been found at the Dibrugarh Airport, the first such detection in the northeastern region, officials said on Friday.
Health officials said that before Assam, the double mutant strain was founda in Maharashtra, Delhi and West Bengal.
Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted: Recent samples from Dibrugarh Airport are positive for B.1.617 strain or the Indian double mutant (L452R and E484Q) strain of SARS-Cov-2. We need to be very very careful.
Covid19 Mutant Variant Spread Across States in India Apr 18, 2021, 13:35 IST
The country is battling the second wave of coronavirus. As the situation worsens, India is trying to deal with the increasing number of cases. In a recent report, it was said that the strains of coronavirus with the double mutation was found in many countries across India. Around 10 states were affected by this. The mutated virus is now being identified as the cause of the rapid increase in cases.
It was in October last year that people first started getting infected by the mutated virus. Many who came back from the mutant strain affected country later showed signs of being affected by the mutated virus. By January, this number kept increasing. The Union Health Ministry even confirmed the same.
Covid-19 cases in India
Strains of the COVID virus with double mutation have been found in 10 states in India which could be responsible for rising infections and faster spread in some states. The double mutation virus now classified as B.1.617 was considered the most common in the samples sequenced. According to genome sequencing data submitted by Indian scientists, the double mutation coronavirus was first found in Maharashtra and most possibly may be becoming the most prevalent among all mutant variants in India.
This variant was first detected on October 5 and began showing increasing number of samples January onwards. On April 1, it accounted for 80% of all analysed genome sequences of mutant variants sent by India to the global repository GISAID. As per media report on Indian Express, a national daily 61% of samples put through genome sequencing in Maharashtra, the worst hit state in India has a suspicions that the current surge is powered by a more transmissible strain.