Eta Variant of Coronavirus: How different and concerning is it? Here's everything you need to know

On 5th August, a case of Eta variant of coronavirus was detected in Mangaluru, Karnataka. Reports claim that the viral strain was identified in a person who had recently travelled back from Dubai. But according to health authorities, this is not the first case of Eta variant in Karnataka. In April 2020, there were two other cases that were reported at the virology lab of Nimhans. With the help of genomic sequencing, belonging to a patient from Mangaluru, the variant was detected.

As of now, given the prevalence of many other variants, it is important to understand what the Eta variant is capable of and whether or not it should be a source of concern.

Eta variant, also known as lineage B.1.525, is SARs-COV-2 virus strain that carries the same E484K-mutation as found in the Gamma, Zeta, and Beta variants. Unlike Alpha, Beta, Gamma, it does not carry the N501Y mutations.

As per reports, this viral strain also carries the same deletion of amino acids histidine and valine in positions 69 and 70, found in Alpha, N439K variant (B.1.141 and B.1.258) and Y453F variant.

As of now, Eta variant is not a 'Variant of concern' (VoC) yet and continues to be a 'Variant of Interest' (VoI). According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), a 'Variant of Interest' is "a SARS-CoV-2 variant with genetic changes that are predicted or known to affect virus characteristics such as transmissibility, disease severity, immune escape, diagnostic or therapeutic escape."

It is also "identified to cause significant community transmission or multiple COVID-19 clusters, in multiple countries with increasing relative prevalence alongside increasing number of cases over time, or other apparent epidemiological impacts to suggest an emerging risk to global public health."

As per WHO, the Eta variant is different from all other variants because it carries both E484K and F888L mutations.

Currently, the virus strain is not as concerning as other other deadly variants with high transmissibility and severity rate.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the first case of Eta variant was discovered in the United Kingdom and Nigeria in December 2020.

Apart from the cases detected in Karnataka in India, Mizoram reported one case of Eta variant in July this year.