WHO labels a Covid strain in India as a ‘variant of concern’
The World Health Organization just reclassified the B.1.617 strain, which was first identified in India, as a “variant of concern” — which indicates that the variant has the “highest public health implications.”
Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, Covid-19 technical lead at the WHO, said there is information suggesting that B.1.617 has “increased transmissibility” and “some reduced neutralization.”
Variants of concern are more contagious, cause more severe disease or reduce the effectiveness of public health measures, vaccines or medication, according to the UN health agency.
Other variants of concern include the B.1.1.7 which was first identified in the United Kingdom, and the B.1.351 which was discovered in South Africa.
According to Gisaid, a platform where countries can share data on viruses, the B.1.617 strain from India has been detected in about 40 countries, including the U.S., U.K. and Singapore.
Do vaccines work?
BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin told CNBC last month he is “confident” the company’s vaccine, which was developed together with U.S. drugmaker Pfizer, is effective against the variant from India.
The WHO also said preliminary laboratory studies found that 28 recipients of Covaxin were able to neutralize the B.1.617 variant. Covaxin is a vaccine developed by India’s Bharat Biotech and the state-run Indian Council of Medical Research.
“We’re very concerned. This is exactly the kind of set up for what we call ‘escape immunity’ — where the variant is so concerning and the body’s immune system can’t fight it,” she told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia” last week.
Reference: CNBC
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