Telangana reports 1 case of new Omicron variant, which is being linked to the surge of Covid infections

A solitary case of the BA.2.12.1 variant with L452Q mutation, the new sub-lineage of Omicron variant which is being linked to the surge of Covid infections in New Delhi and New York, was reported in Telangana by the geneticists from Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG).

Samples from Covid positive individuals in Hyderabad were collected for genomic sequencing on April 4 and the results were made available to GSAID, the global initiative to document genomic data of coronavirus, a few days ago by INSACOG.

Out of the many Omicron variants that are circulating in Telangana and the other Indian States, the BA.2.12.1 has the potential to trigger a surge in Covid infections, an important reason for people to take precautions, senior public health officials here said.

The BA2.12.1 is a sub-lineage of Omicron and spreading quickly in the US, it is expected to become a dominant variant in the coming weeks. However, based on reports and observations, the BA2.12.1 has so



far not indicated more severity than other Omicron variants.

Commenting on BA2.12.1 and L452Q mutation, Dr Anurag Agrawal, former Director, CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), New Delhi on social media platform Twitter, advised, “For the time being, I don’t see any reason to panic. With a very small truly vulnerable group (India), there should not be a big wave that stresses healthcare. Go on with life but do get your booster and do use the mask responsibly for yourself and others.”

Apart from being more infectious than the BA2 Omicron variant, the BA2.12.1 has the L452Q mutation that was seen in the Delta variant of the coronavirus, which appears to help increase the ability of the virus to infect human cells. As a result of L452Q mutation, geneticists believe that BA2.12.1 has the ability to escape vaccine-induced immunity and cause reinfections and breakthrough cases. However, vaccines are expected to provide protection from the severity of the BA2.12.1, experts added.