Coronavirus disease-19 Virus Strains in India: A Review

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a highly transmissible and pathogenic coronavirus that
emerged in the Wuhan, in Hubei Province of China in December 2019. It has now resulted in a pandemic of an acute respiratory
disease known as the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID), in short, referred to as the COVID-19. The first wave of infection in
India peaked during September 2020 and then went on to decline. Multiple variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 are
circulating globally and within India. These variants appear to spread more simply and quickly than different variants, which can
result in an increase in COVID-19 cases in the country. A fresh wave of infections began in India during late March 2021, referred
to as the second wave. India, currently, has over 15 lakh active cases becoming the second worst-hit country in the world after
the United States. A second wave is believed to be because of mutations of the virus. This paper presents a review of the various
strains and mutations of SARS-CoV-2 in India.