Suddenly several people have started talking about the new strain of coronavirus – C.1.2 which fortunately has not come to India yet. This variant was discovered in South Africa in the month of May. Since then it has affected people in China, Mauritius, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, New Zealand, England, Switzerland and Portugal.
Facts to know about C.1.2:
- Scientists have been hinting towards the fact that the srain may have a greater ability to shakeoff antibodies that protect us leading to more proneness towards infection.
- It can hamper immunity more than Delta variant due to the pattern of its mutations. Infact the mutations are being said to be faster than other variants prevalent in the world at the moment.
- C.1.2 is not a single virus but a cluster of genetically similar viruses and because of the cluster, it’s mutations are faster.
The positive part is that according to WHO, C.1.2 is not yet a variant of concern. However, as a precautionary measure Mumbai’s civic body Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has made RT-PCR tests mandatory for passengers from the Europe, Middle East, South Africa, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Botswana, and China.
