Going with the ever-long race of COVID-19, the world needs to be on a high alert again as the new C.1.2 variant of COVID-19 has been detected in South Africa along with the Delta variant in India. The scientists from National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) and the KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP) in South Africa performed studies based on the same in May 2021. They said that the virus could be in its full fling during the Sept. - Oct. time of the year. And their reports don’t lie as it has already been transmitted in China, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mauritius, England, New Zealand, Portugal, and Switzerland as of August 13. 

According to the reports, the new C.1.2 has mutated more rapidly than its earlier version C.1. It also has more mutations than other global mutations. It is said to have a faster transmission rate and also evasion to the already existing vaccines. That means the race of viruses and vaccines is never-ending. 

South Africa is especially on high alert as more genomes of this new variant are spreading every month in the country. With a mutation rate of 41.8 per year, it is the fastest among variants of concern. The variant is the result of a mutation in the spike protein. The spike protein is used by the S-CoV-2 virus to infect and enter human cells. Most vaccines are made to counter that. It is highly transmissible because there are many mutations in spike protein. For this reason, it can escape the immunity and produce a challenge for vaccination around the world. 

Hence, at all places, the transmission level is the only step to be curbed completely. If the virus is not allowed to spread, it will not cause these disastrous effects. It also consists of mutations N440K & Y449H which are known for immune escape from antibodies. These mutations alone are capable of changing the course of the virus. They will help it evade vaccines and antibodies, including in patients who have already developed immunity for the Alpha or Beta variants.

The studies are still going on regarding its lineage that’s why the scientists and researchers have asked the people to strictly follow the measures of social distancing & safe hygiene. The virus will put humanity into a serious condition of helplessness if it is allowed to spread.

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