Also Read | Bitter home truths for migrant workersEchoing similar views, Dr Balram Bhargava, Director General of ICMR pointed: "There is no direct relation between the recent surge in COVID19 cases in Maharashtra and some other States with the mutant virus strains N440K and E484Q of coronavirus disease."The E484Q strain was earlier detected in four sequences in Maharashtra as early as March and July 2020.
The N440K mutation has been reported on 13 different occasions between May and September 2020 in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Assam," Dr Bhargava said.India has already reported different mutants of the Covid-19 virus.