The dreaded coronavirus, which has killed over 4 million people across the world, continues to outsmart science and experts with even more transmissible variants. Amid increasing cases of Delta plus variant in India, the country has now reported three cases of the Kappa variant of Covid-19 in Uttar Pradesh, which are again worrying scientists and experts in the country.

According to experts in north Bengal, the Kappa variant has been classified as a “variant of interest” and not a “variant of concern” as its transmissibility as well as its ability for immunological, diagnostic and therapeutic escape is yet to be ascertained.

A senior professor of the Department of Biotechnology, University of North Bengal, Dr Ranadhir Chakraborty, who was part of an international team which mapped a total of 71,703 genomes of the coronavirus till August 2020, said that the Kappa variant was not a new threat, and that it had earlier been found even in the samples collected from India.

“The Kappa strain is not new. It was found in India in the months of February and March, but it was suppressed after Delta variant became dominant. “The Kappa variant is linked to the B.1.617 constellation of mutations; it is the B.1.167.1 first detected in India and has been around for some time. It was replaced by the B.1.167.2 or Delta variant, first reported in the country in October.

“The Kappa strain is characterized by the acquisition of two mutations, namely, E484Q and L452R. In E484Q, Glutamic has changed into Glutamine and in L452R, Leucine has changed into Arginine,” he said. The senior microbiologist warned that the Kappa variant was being closely monitored as the L452R mutation helps the virus to escape the body’s innate immune response.

The innate immune response, commonly known as natural immunity, consists of physical, chemical and cellular defenses against pathogens. The main purpose of the innate immune response is to immediately prevent the spread and movement of foreign pathogens throughout the body. The L452R mutation may help the virus to challenge and beat the body’s innate immune response,” he cautioned.

Referring to recent researches on the efficacy of the various vaccines in the world against the different strains of SARS Cov-2, Dr Chakraborty, however, assured that vaccines were largely effective against almost all variants.

“The Indian Council of Medical Research has confirmed that Covaxin was effective against Beta, Delta and Kappa variants, while the National Institutes of Health, USA, which is one of the world’s foremost medical research centers, has found that the Bharat Biotech vaccine would provide protection against both the Alpha and Delta strains.

According to a study by researchers at Oxford University, which was published in the journal Cell last month, vaccines made by AstraZeneca, which is used in India as Covishield, were found to remain broadly effective against Delta and Kappa variants,” he said.

Though the Kappa strain was yet to be classified as a “variant of concern,” Dr Chakraborty pointed out that the initial symptoms of Covid caused by the Kappa variant were reportedly very deceptive and misleading. “A Kappa variant infection has similar symptoms to other Covid-19 variants – flu, fever, headache, aches, prolonged cough, dry mouth, to loss of smell and taste. However, one epidemiologist from the Griffith University, Australia, Dicky Budiman confirmed recently that a number of people who were infected with a Kappa strain experience measles-like symptoms initially.

The initial symptoms of Kappa variant infection is mainly rashes all over the body. The symptoms start looking similar to other infections from other Covid strains a day or two later. It is thus very important that people watch out for these symptoms and see a doctor within hours of showing these symptoms.

With the second wave not yet over completely and the threat of a third wave looming large, we should still be very cautious and follow the standard operating procedures strictly and religiously,” he maintained.