A new offshoot of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 - CH.1.1 - has emerged in India in recent days, a media report has said.
Citing data from INSACOG, which showed that 17 samples with this subvariant - 16 in Maharashtra and 1 in Gujarat - were detected in India, the Times of India reported that CH.1.1 has now acquired a Delta mutation, which could make it more pathogenic.
"One mutation R, proposed to be associated with increased cell fusion and pathogenicity in animal models, is hypothesised to explain severe illness associated with the Delta variant that has been identified in CH.1.1 sequences. However, pathogenicity in Delta may be a property of other mutations and interactions among them and has not yet been understood," Dr Sanjay Pujari, a member of the national Covid task force, told the publication.
"Additionally, the Delta wave occurred when the immunity wall was inadequate. Further data is needed before any increased pathogenicity property can be attributed to the CH.1.1," Pujari said.
A top INSACOG official said, however, that India so far had nothing to worry about because cases continue to decline in the country and even in Maharashtra. “The sub-variant is nothing unusual as it is a descendant of Omicron’s BA.2.75.” Constant watch is being maintained and there was nothing to suggest increased transmission, the official added.