New Covid variant ‘IHU’

Subject – Science and Tech

Context – New Covid variant ‘IHU’ identified in France

Concept –

Known as ‘IHU’, the B.1.640.2 variant has been reported by researchers at Institute IHU Mediterranee Infection in at least 12 cases, and has been linked to travel to the African country Cameroon.
However, researchers noted that it is too early to speculate on how this variant behaves as far as infection and protection from vaccines is concerned.
IHU has 46 mutations and 37 deletions resulting in 30 amino acid substitutions and 12 deletions. Fourteen amino acid substitutions — including N501Y and E484K — and nine deletions are located in the spike protein.
N501Y and E484K mutations were earlier also found in Beta, Gamma, Theta and Omicron variants.
IHU has not been identified in other countries or labelled a variant under investigation by WHO.
The variant can be detected via shortcut tests through a polymerase chain reaction analysis.
SARS-CoV-2 is a ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus; it is in its nature to mutate. It remains to be seen which category of variant IHU falls under, based on its characteristics.
- It will be declared a variant of concern (VoC) if one or all of the following are true: It is more infectious, more virulent and evades vaccine immune response, treatments and diagnostics put in place till now.