Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2021) 10(05): 502-506 502 Review Article https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2021.1005.057 Vaccines and SARS-CoV-2 Variants-An Indian Perspective Mohammad Arfat Ganiyani 1,2 , Manas Pustake 1, 2* , Isha Tambolkar 3 , Zaid Memon 4 and Sunita Bhandari 5 1 Department of Microbiology, Grant Government Medical College and Sir JJ Group of Hospitals, Mumbai, 400008, India 2 Dedicated Jumbo COVID Hospital, MMRDA Ground, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra (E), Mumbai – 400 051, India 3 Department of Microbiology, BJ Government Medical College and Sassoon Hospital, Pune, 411001, India 4 Department of Medical Virology, MGM Medical College, Navi Mumbai, 410 219, India 5 Department of Microbiology, S.M.B.T Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Center, Dhamangaon, Nashik, India *Corresponding author ABSTRACT Introduction Severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a highly infectious virus that infects humans and various animals, resulting in coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), a respiratory distress syndrome that has triggered a worldwide International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 10 Number 05 (2021) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a highly contagious virus that infects humans and several mammals, resulting in Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). Every time the virus replicates, there is a chance that a mutation will occur, resulting in the development of a phylogenetically distinct strain. The emergence of several strains of this virus has resulted in a second wave of the epidemic and a tremendous amount of strain on the national surveillance and health systems. However, if we want to mount the most effective resistance against COVID-19, we must do so against variants as well, and for doing so, we must first consider the virus's evolutionary capacity. To foresee the variants that will emerge, it is important to understand how SARS-CoV-2 mutates and what limits its evolution. So far, the receptor-binding spike protein has been the focus, but the virus is a trailblazer, expressing 26 proteins that communicate with a broad variety of host factors, so the possibilities for evolution are numerous and uncertain. A triple mutant strain could be India's next challenge, and collecting as much information as possible about it is crucial to defeat it before it creates havoc. To bring an end to the COVID- 19 pandemic, widespread immunity to SARS-CoV-2 will be needed. Keywords Virus, mutations, vaccinations, Coronavirus-2, surveillance system Accepted: 14 April 2021 Available Online: 10 May 2021 Article Info