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There is no evidence to suggest that AY.4, a sub-lineage of the delta version of the coronavirus, has a higher infectivity rate than the delta, and is not a new variant, said Rakesh Mishra, former director of the Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) gave this information on Monday.
Six persons were found infected with AY.4 in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore district, said state’s Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) BS Saitya.
He said that all the six, who were found infected with AY.4 type, were fully vaccinated. He said that he has recovered after the treatment.
“There is no evidence or observation to suggest that AY.4 causes greater vaccine success or re-infection or greater infectivity. At the moment, this does not appear to be the case,” Mishra told PTI.
AY.4 is a sub-lineage of the delta version of the coronavirus, which was driving a deadly second wave of infections that killed thousands from March to May.
“AY.4 is not a new variant,” Mishra, who heads the Hyderabad-based CCMB, which is at the forefront of genome sequencing of coronavirus, said. He is now the Director of the Tata Institute for Genetics and Society in Bengaluru.
However, Mishra stressed that it is still very important to follow Covid-appropriate behavior as COVID-19 has not yet reached the pandemic stage.
The recent relative expansion of the AY.4 lineage compared to B.1.617.2 in the INSACOG data should be viewed in the light of global evidence that so far there is no substantial difference between delta lineages, INSACOG, a genome-sequencing association, reported. Said in his October 4 bulletin.
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However, the matter is being monitored and is being clinically correlated.
Globally, AY.4 lineage is most frequently observed, with the highest level in the UK.
In the ongoing outbreaks across the US, AY.4 has not outperformed other Delta lineages, the October 4 bulletin said.
It said that out of 39,283 samples of Variant of Concern (VOC) and Variant of Interest (VoI), 4,143 belonged to the AY series.
The INSACOG Bulletin states that global evidence does not suggest any delta lineage to be significantly different from others and, so far, micro-lineage analysis is only for epidemiological surveillance.
INSACOG’s September 20 bulletin states that the clinical features of AY.4 infections are similar to those of B.1.617.2 infections in preliminary studies from Maharashtra.
“There are currently no additional clinical or public health concerns with respect to these sub-lineages,” it said.
INSACOG’s September 13 bulletin states that Delta and Delta sub-lineages continue to be the main VoC in India.
“AY.4 is the most frequently observed sub-lineage in recent sequences in India as well as globally,” it added.
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