WHO: Only one strain of Covid variant found in India is now “Of Concern”

On Tuesday, the WHO said that only one strain of the Covid-19 Delta variant first detected in India was now considered “of concern”. WHO added that two other strains had been downgraded.

“It has become evident that greater public health risks are currently associated with B.1.617.2, while lower rates of transmission of other lineages have been observed,” the World Health Organization said in its weekly epidemiological update on the pandemic.

“We continue to observe significantly increased transmissibility and a growing number of countries reporting outbreaks associated with this variant,” the UN agency said.

“Further studies into the impact of this variant remain a high priority for WHO.”

In fact, a new hybrid variant announced by Vietnam’s health authorities on Saturday appears to be a variation of Delta.

“What we understand is that it is this B.1.617.2 variant with one additional deletion in the location of the spike protein,” WHO’s technical lead on Covid-19 Maria Van Kerkhove told reporters Tuesday.

“We know that the B.1.617.2, the Delta variant, does have increased transmissibility, which means it can spread easier between people,” she added.