Increased Covid-related deaths found linked to double mutant in Jammu: GMC

The increased transmissibility and deaths in May were found linked to B.1.617.2, Principal of Government Medical College (GMC), Jammu Shashi Sudhan Sharma said

The increased transmissibility and deaths in May were found linked to B.1.617.2, generally known as double mutant, Principal of Government Medical College (GMC), Jammu Shashi Sudhan Sharma said on Saturday.

As many as 68.5 percent of the tested positive patients were reported to have B.1.617.2, which has been classified as being of concern by the World Health Organisation, Sharma said, quoting the recent epidemiological studies.

She said the sudden increase in the number of Covid-related deaths in the Union Territory, especially in the Jammu region, raised an alarm about the circulating variant of concern (B.1.617.2) in Jammu, which was proved right by the study.

Sharma said the epidemiological studies have suggested the role of the new SARS-CoV-2 variants for ragging second COVID-19 wave in Jammu and Kashmir.

She said the Covid positive samples are routinely sent to Indian SARS CoV-2 Consortium of Genomics (INSACOG) for genomic sequencing and analysis of circulating COVID-19 viruses and several variants have been reported in Jammu.

"There is available information to suggest that the increased transmissibility and increased deaths in the month of May were linked to the variant of concern, the GMC principal said.

According to the recent data of Covid positive samples sent from the Department of Microbiology, GMC Jammu to the National Centre for Disease Control in Delhi for genetic sequencing, she said the mortality rate among patients admitted in the GMC, Jammu was 62.5 percent in those infected with the 'variant of concern,' with a very high number of young patients, indicating the higher public health implications of the variant.

Sharma said among those patients admitted 58.4 percent were reported to have B.1.617.2 (double mutant), 22.47 per cent were reported to have B.1 mutation, 6.74 per cent were having B.1.1 mutant, 3.37 per cent had B.1.617.1 variant while 1.1 per cent had B .1.1.7 the UK variant.

She said 2.247 per cent of admitted patients were reported to have no mutant at all.

Among the infection tally of 3,06,638 and 4,174 fatalities, Jammu and Kashmir recorded a total of over 1.12 lakh COVID-19 cases and 1,609 deaths -- 1,006 in Jammu division and 603 in Kashmir valley in May.