Distribution and Functional Analyses of Mutations in Spike Protein and Phylogenic Diversity of SARS-CoV-2 Variants Emerged during the Year 2021 in India.

Introduction: Prolonged COVID-19 pandemic accelerates the emergence and transmissibility of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants through the accumulation of adaptive mutations. Particularly, adaptive mutations in spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2 leads to increased viral infectivity, severe morbidity and mortality, and immune evasion. This study focuses on the phylodynamic distribution of SARS-CoV-2 variants during the year 2021 in India besides analyzing the functional significance of mutations in S-protein of SARS-CoV-2 variants.