NEW DELHI: On Monday, May 10, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that the B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus, first identified in India last year, has been classified as a variant of global concern.
Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead of COVID-19 response at WHO, said during a press briefing that there is some available information on the Indian variant to suggest of it having increased transmissibility. She added that the information collected so far will help in work on public health and social measures, but there is need for more targeted sequencing to limit the spread of the virus.
According to WHO, the predominant lineage of B.1.617 variant of coronavirus was first identified in India in December 2020. Although, an earlier version of this variant was spotted in October 2020. This variant has already spread to other countries prompting many nations to cut or restrict movement from India.
New positive cases of COVID-19 and deaths due to the virus remained record high on Monday. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO, said that the WHO Foundation is all set to launch a “Together for India” campaign to raise funds to purchase oxygen, medicines and protective equipment for health workers in India.