WHO Warns Indian COVID Variant May Be More Contagious and Vaccine-Resistant

The B.1.617 variant, identified in October in India, would probably be the cause of the rapid spread of the pandemic that has become unsustainable in the country, Ms. Swaminathan, an Indian pediatrician and researcher, said in an interview with the MAP. This variant "has mutations that increase transmission, and that can also potentially make it resistant to antibodies that have developed through vaccination or natural infection," she explained, estimating that the WHO could classify this variant among the most dangerous.

However, this devastating surge in infections and deaths cannot be attributed solely to the variant, as the country quickly abandoned barrier gestures and mass gatherings were observed, making it difficult to fight the virus "because the epidemic concerns thousands of people and it is multiplying at a speed that is very difficult to curb," Ms. Swaminathan stressed, warning that vaccination alone would not be enough