A case of Eta variant of SARS-COV-2 was confirmed in Karnataka's Mangaluru on 5 August. The variant was detected in a man who travelled back to India four months ago from Dubai and tested positive for COVID-19.
Health officials have said that this is also not the first occurrence of Eta variant in Karnataka, reported Times of India.
The first two cases were reported in April 2020 at Nimhans’ virology lab through genomic sequencing and they belonged to patients from Mangaluru.
What is Eta variant? Where was the first case reported? How many cases have been reported so far? Here's everything we know.
What is Eta variant?
The Eta variant is the same as B.1.525. It does not carry the same N501Y mutation which is found in Alpha, Beta and Gamma, but it carries the same E484K-mutation as found in the Gamma, Zeta, and Beta variants.
This strain also carries the same deletion of amino acids histidine and valine in positions 69 and 70, as found in Alpha, N439K variant (B.1.141 and B.1.258) and Y453F variant, reported Hindustan Times.
When was the first case of Eta variant reported?
The first Eta variant was identified in United Kingdom and Nigeria in December 2020, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
What other Indian states have reported cases of Eta variant?
In July, Mizoram reported one case of Eta variant.
How is Eta different from other variants?
According to WHO, Eta variant is different from all other variants as it has both E484K and F888L mutations.
What is variant of interest?
WHO has categorised Eta as a 'variant of interest' which means the strain has been “identified to cause significant community transmission or multiple COVID-19 clusters, in multiple countries with increasing relative prevalence alongside increasing number of cases over time, or other apparent epidemiological impacts to suggest an emerging risk to global public health," reported News18.
(With inputs from Times of India, News18)
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