Coronavirus variant N440K is prevalent since last year in south India and it is diminishing, say scientists at the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB). Various reports have emerged suspecting the role of the variant behind the surge in Covid-19 cases in Andhra Pradesh. "The mutant is not new. We have been seeing it in south India since last year," the scientists said in a tweet on Wednesday. The new Covid-19 variant, named as the AP strain, which was identified in Kurnool district, is believed to be 15 times more deadly and stronger than other Indian variants.

When the variant was examined in controlled cell culture, it made more copies. However, "it does not necessarily mean that it can compete with other variants just the same way in a real life pandemic where new variants keep coming up. Our genome studies say that N440K is now diminishing", the scientists said. The N440K variant, associated with immune escape, had been detected in the labs of Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomic Consortia (INSACOG). INSACOG -- a grouping of 10 national laboratories -- has been carrying out genomic sequencing and analysis of circulating Covid-19 viruses, and correlating epidemiological trends with genomic variants.