WHO said that the B.1.617 variety, first detected in India, appears to be transmitting more easily than the original virus, pointing to the rapid increases in prevalence in multiple countries.
THE Covid-19 variant behind the massive outbreak in India has been detected in 44 countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced.
The UN health agency said the B.1.617 variant of Covid-19, first found in India in October, had been detected in more than 4,500 samples uploaded to an open-access database "from 44 countries in all six WHO regions."
Outside of India, Britain had reported the largest number of Covid cases caused by the variant.
Earlier this week, the WHO declared variant B.1.617 -- which counts three so-called sub-lineages with slightly different mutations and characteristics -- as a "variant of concern."
It was therefore added to the list containing three other variants of Covid-19 first detected in Britain, Brazil and South Africa.
The variants are more dangerous than the original version of the virus because they are either more transmissible, deadlier, or can get past vaccine protections.
'Rapid increase'
WHO said that the B.1.617 variety appears to be transmitting more easily than the original virus, pointing to the “rapid increases in prevalence in multiple countries.”
WHO also pointed to "preliminary evidence" that the variant was more resistant to treatment with the monoclonal antibody Bamlanivimab, and also highlighted early lab studies indicating "limited reduction in neutralization by antibodies.”
It stressed, though, that "real-world impacts" on the effectiveness of vaccines against the variant for instance "may be limited."
WHO said the spread of B.1.617, alongside other more transmittable variants, appeared to be one of several factors fueling India's dramatic surge in new Covid-19 cases.
India -- a country of 1.3 billion people -- is the world's second-most infected after the United States with nearly 23 million Covid-19 cases
It is currently recording more than 300,000 new cases and close to 4,000 deaths each day.
The new surge in cases has ravaged major cities, including the capital New Delhi and financial hub Mumbai, pushing hospitals to breaking point and leading to severe shortages in oxygen and beds.
"WHO found that resurgence and acceleration of Covid-19 transmission in India had several potential contributing factors, including increase in the proportion of cases of SARS-CoV-2 variants with potentially increased transmissibility," it said.
It also pointed to "several religious and political mass gathering events which increased social mixing; and, under-use of and reduced adherence to public health and social measures."
"The exact contributions of each of these factors on increased transmission in India are not well understood."
(RdlC)
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