A case of the Eta variant of Covid19 was confirmed in Mangaluru in Karnataka this week, although the case is not news, according to reports. Four months ago, a person in Dubai tested positive for Covid. His sample was submitted for genome sequencing, the results of which were confirmed on Thursday. This variant is not a new one in India.
Here is all you need to know
According to World Health Organization, Eta was first detected in December 2020. WHO does not have the name of any one country as the place where this variant was first documents.
On March 17, 2021, Eta has been designated as a variant of interest.
Mizoram in July this year had reported one case of Eta variant.
Reports said this variant is different from all other variants as it has both E484K and F888L mutations.
This is also not the first occurrence of the Eta variant n Karnataka, health officials have said.
Eta is not a variant of concern yet and continues to be a variant of interest along with Iota, Kappa, and Lamda, while Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta continue to be the variants of concern.
The new finding does not add to concerns about a third wave in the state as it is an old case, the results of which came recently. Karnataka has seen a resurgence of Covid19 cases since the last week of July. It introduced restrictions and strengthened border controls as the Kerala border experienced a sudden increase in the number of daily Covid19 cases. The positivity rate in the state is less than 2%, but the reproductive value of infection in the state is 1.2, indicating that 100 people infected in the state are infecting another 120 during the contagion period.