What is the newly found COVID-19 'Epsilon variant' in Pakistan? - Details inside

As the world grapples with COVID-19, vaccines do not make it easy especially when there are new variants popping out every day out of nowhere that are strong and vaccine resistant in nature. 

While India witnessed a rise of the Delta variant in April and May which took many lives and left the country devastated, parts of it are still struggling. Fighting a virus that is vaccine resistant is not easy. 

According to a report by Dawn, a new COVID-19 variant, Epsilon, has been detected in Pakistan amid the surge of COVID-19 cases in the country amid its fourth wave. The health authorities have issued an alert following the detection of five new cases of Epsilon strain in Lahore. 

Medical experts in Pakistan believe the Epsilon variant to be vaccine resistant and have declared it as the new threat for vaccinated people who might get infected again. The variant is considered highly infectious and as transmissible as the Delta variant. 

What is the Epsilon variant and where did it come from?

Surprisingly, the Epsilon variant is not new. It was first detected in California in 2020 and is also known as B.1.429 and CAL.20C and has five defining mutations, of which the L452R is of particular concern. A big deal wasn't made out of it then because the United States’ had downgraded it to a 'variant of interest' because it showed potential diagnostic effects. 

Key features of Epsilon variant: 

According to a peer-reviewed scientific journal published on July 1, the Epsilon strain can completely escape lab-made antibodies and reduce the effectiveness of the antibodies generated in the plasma of vaccinated people. Researchers at the University of Washington also came to a similar conclusion that the variant to be more resistant to vaccines and is 20 per cent more transmissible than the current variants. 

Owing to increasing cases in Pakistan, the authorities have imposed a lockdown in the southern Sindh province including Karachi. The lockdown took place on Saturday (July 31) and will continue till August 8. Essential services like pharmacies, bakeries, gas stations and grocery stores are allowed to remain open until 6 pm. Other restrictions have also been brought in place relating to inter-city travel and all ongoing examinations at schools and universities have also been postponed.