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AHMEDABAD :
Covid-19’s high death rate in Gujarat could be due to the prevalence of the L-type coronavirus strain, which was found to be more prevalent in Wuhan in China, where the outbreak began, experts said.
The prevalence of the more virulent type L coronavirus strain compared to type S could be behind the state’s high death rate, which has reported 133 deaths so far. However, no research has been done to confirm this, they said.
A scientist at the Gujarat Biotechnology Research Center (GBRC) said that the new coronavirus used for genome sequencing recently made by him contained the L-type strain.
“Analysis by scientists abroad has shown that the L-type strain has been dominant where more mortality is reported among coronavirus patients. This strain was found to be more prevalent in Wuhan,” said GBRC director CG Joshi.
“The coronavirus sample we collected from a patient for the genome sequence contained the L-type strain. This strain has much greater virulence compared to the S strain,” he said.
“The variation in the coronavirus is in terms of the number and percentage of mutations. According to the analysis, the L-type strain is dominant where more mortality is reported. Scientists have previously discovered that this strain has caused more deaths,” he said.
The GBRC recently successfully decoded the entire genome sequence of the new coronavirus and identified its three new mutations.
Joshi added that the patient from whom the virus sample was collected for sequencing has fully recovered.
So far, no study has been conducted here to establish which coronavirus strain is predominant in patients here.
Atul Patel, an infectious disease specialist, attributed the presence of the L-type strain more than the S-type strain in Gujarat to the high mortality rate.
Patel has said that a slightly higher presence of the L-type strain, or the original Wuhan strain, could be behind a higher death rate in the state.
The state government has also attributed the high mortality among coronavirus patients in the state to comorbidities and high risk factors.
Heart and lung diseases, diabetes and hypertension are among the common diseases that have been found among Covid-19 patients who died in Gujarat.
Risk factors include patients in the age group over 60 and under five, and pregnant women, and account for 90 percent of patients who died, Jayanti Ravi, Chief Secretary (Health) recently said.
