Express News Service
NEW DELHI: A latest study in the US, the UK and Italy has shown that convalescent plasma used indiscriminately for Covid as it has been in India might alter the virus allowing escape mutations to dominate. An escape mutation allows SARS-COV-2 to evade antibodies specific to the spike protein which the virus uses to enter human cells.
Incidentally, ICMR director general Balaram Bhargava had warned against the random usage of unproven therapy such as convalescent plasma for Covid, saying that such practices put immune pressure on virus to mutate. To investigate the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in the immune population, scientists co-incubated authentic virus with a highly neutralising plasma from a Covid convalescent patient.
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Updated: Dec 18, 2020, 11:04 PM IST
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Chief Dr Balaram Bhargava tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday. As per latest reports, he has been admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in the national capital.
All matter pertaining to the coronavirus is under his supervision. This comes as India s COVID-19 caseload rose to 99.79 lakh with 22,890 new infections being reported in a day.
The total recoveries crossed the 95 lakh-mark, according to the Union Health Ministry s data updated on Friday. With 338 more fatalities, the death toll reached 1,44,789, while the total COVID-19 cases mounted to 99,79,447, the data updated at 8 am showed.