Rising fears around the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic are instilling a sense of panic in people once again, as the new AY.4.2 variant of the virus can be seen wreaking havoc across the world. Now, several cases of the new variant are emerging in India.
AY.4.2, which is a sub-lineage of the Delta variant of COVID-19, has been detected in the United Kingdom, China, and Russia, and has now made its way to India. States such as Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra have reported cases of the new variant in the past few days.
As the new cases of AY.4.2 are emerging and the festival season is right around the corner, many fear that the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic will hit the country soon. Keeping this in mind, the Centre is also springing into action to contain the fear.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday ensured that a government panel is currently looking into the new COVID-19 variant, with the intent to contain its spread. He said, “A team is investigating the new COVID19 variant AY.4.2. ICMR and NCDC teams study and analyze the different variants.”
A team is investigating the new COVID19 variant AY.4.2 … ICMR and NCDC teams study and analyse the different variants: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya pic.twitter.com/6Htme2RFvR
— ANI (@ANI) October 26, 2021
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has also decided to classify the AY.4.2 sub-lineage of the Delta variant as a “variant under investigation.” It is likely that this type of COVID-19 virus will be called the “Nu” variant by the global health agency.
Though the spread of the new variant has spiked fear among citizens, experts have stated that there is no evidence till now that suggests that the AY.4.2 is deadlier than the Delta variant, which emerged during the deadly second wave of the pandemic in India.
The possibility of a third wave in India has seemingly increased as some states have noticed a spike in the daily COVID-19 tally of the area after the Durga Puja and Navratri period. The Centre has issued several guidelines for Diwali, in order to curb the possibility of the third wave.
