Coronavirus: India
Variant from India is of global concern: WHO
This is the fourth variant to be classified as requiring heightened tracking and analysis
Sign up now: Get insights on Asia's fast-moving developments
Coronavirus patients at a hospital in Siliguri, India, yesterday. Experts have highlighted that the more the coronavirus spreads, the bigger the risk that it will find ideal conditions to mutate in concerning ways. They emphasise that everything must be done to rein in transmission.
PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
DeeperDive is a beta AI feature. Refer to full articles for the facts.
GENEVA • The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that the coronavirus variant first identified in India late last year is being classified as a variant of global concern, with some preliminary studies showing it spreads more easily.
The B1617 variant is the fourth variant to be designated as being of global concern and requiring heightened tracking and analysis.
The others are the B117 variant that was first detected in Britain, the B1351 variant first detected in South Africa, and the P1 variant which was first detected in Brazil.
"There is some available information to suggest increased transmissibility of the B1617," Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO technical lead on Covid-19, told a briefing on Monday. "As such, we are classifying this as a variant of concern at the global level," she said.
She also pointed to early studies "suggesting that there is some reduced neutralisation", meaning that antibodies appeared to have less impact on the variant in small-sample lab studies.
But the WHO insisted it is far too early to interpret this to mean that the variant might have more resistance to vaccine protections.
"Based on current data, the Covid-19 vaccines remain effective at preventing disease and death in people infected with this variant," it said in a statement.
The WHO has said the predominant lineage of B1617 was first identified in India last December, although an earlier version was spotted in October.
The B1617 variant has been reported in 17 countries, and many nations have moved to cut or restrict movements from India.
Dr Van Kerkhove said more information about the variant and its three sub-lineages would be made available soon.
"Even though there is increased transmissibility demonstrated by some preliminary studies, we need much more information about this virus variant and this lineage and all of the sub-lineages," she said.
Dr Soumya Swaminathan, WHO chief scientist, said studies are under way in India to examine the variant's transmissibility, the severity of disease it causes and the response of antibodies in people who have been vaccinated.
"What we know now is that the vaccines work, the diagnostics work, the same treatments that are used for the regular virus works, so there is really no need to change any of those," Dr Swaminathan said.
"And in fact... people should go ahead and get whatever vaccine is available to them and that they are eligible for," she added.
White House chief medical adviser, Dr Anthony Fauci, also said that preliminary evidence from lab studies suggest that Covaxin, a vaccine developed in India, appears capable of neutralising the variant.
Experts have highlighted that the more the coronavirus spreads, the bigger the risk that it will find ideal conditions to mutate in concerning ways. They emphasise that everything must be done to rein in transmission.
"We will continue to see variants of concern around the world, and we must do everything that we can to really limit the spread," Dr Van Kerkhove said.
Meanwhile, in New Delhi, UK variant cases almost doubled during the second half of March, according to Mr Sujeet Kumar Singh, director of the National Centre for Disease Control. The Indian variant, though, is widely present in Maharashtra, the country's hardest-hit state, Mr Singh said.
REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
