The World Health Organisation on Monday raised concerns about the COVID-19 variant that is spreading and creating havoc in India. According to WHO, it virus strain appears to be more contagious and has been classified as being 'of concern'.
The UN health agency is of the opinion that the B.1.617 variant of COVID-19 first found in India last October, seems to be transmitting more easily than the original version of the coronavirus. WHO says that the major cause of concern is that it means the virus has some increased resistance to vaccine protections.
"There is some available information to suggest increased transmissibility of the B.1.617," Maria Van Kerkove, the WHO's lead on COVID-19, told reporters. She also pointed to early studies 'suggesting that there is some reduced neutralisation'.
The WHO however insisted though that it was far too early to interpret this to mean that the variant might have more resistance to vaccine protections.
The B.1.617 variant will be added to the list containing three other variants of COVID-19 - those first detected in Britain, Brazil, and South Africa which the WHO has classified as being 'of concern'.
They are seen as more dangerous than the original version of the virus by being more transmissible, deadly, or able to get past vaccine protections.
More details would be provided about the variant in the WHO's weekly epidemiological update on Tuesday, Van Kerkhove WHO's lead on COVID-19 said.
It has for some time been feared that B.1.617 which counts several sub-lineages with slightly different mutations and characteristics might be contributing to the alarming spread.
India reported nearly 370,000 fresh COVID-19 infections and more than 3,700 new deaths on Monday.
(With Agency Inputs)
