Mutations, religious and political gatherings fuelled India surge: WHO

According to the WHO’s epidemiological update released on Wednesday, India continues to account for 95% of cases and 93% of deaths in the South-East Asia Region, as well as 50% of global cases and 30% of global deaths. (AFP)
According to the WHO’s epidemiological update released on Wednesday, India continues to account for 95% of cases and 93% of deaths in the South-East Asia Region, as well as 50% of global cases and 30% of global deaths. (AFP)

Summary

The World Health Organization (WHO) has attributed the massive surge in coronavirus infections in India to the more contagious mutant variants and unrestricted religious and political gatherings that preceded the resurgence of the pandemic

The World Health Organization (WHO) has attributed the massive surge in coronavirus infections in India to the more contagious mutant variants and unrestricted religious and political gatherings that preceded the resurgence of the pandemic.

India now accounts for 95% of cases and 93% of deaths in what WHO calls the South-East Asia region, and 50% of global cases and 30% of deaths, according to the WHO’s epidemiological update released on Wednesday.

While the WHO did not say how much each of these factors contributed to the explosive increase in covid cases in India, a series of blunders related to public health, including allowing larger gatherings at religious festivals, political rallies, extended election campaigning and a lax attitude towards wearing masks and maintaining social distancing have helped the virus spread swiftly through the population and possibly led to more mutations.

“A recent risk assessment of the situation in India conducted by WHO found that the resurgence and acceleration of covid-19 transmission in India had several potential contributing factors, including the increase in the proportion of cases of SARS-CoV-2 variants, with potentially increased transmissibility; several religious and political mass gathering events which increased social mixing; and, underuse of and reduced adherence to public health and social measures," the WHO said.

Viruses in the B.1.617 lineage were first reported in India in October. The resurgence in covid-19 cases and deaths in India have raised questions on the potential role of B.1.617 and other variants (e.g., B.1.1.7) in circulation.

“The prevalence of several variants of concern (VOC), including B.1.1.7 and B.1.612 sub-lineages, increased concurrently to the surge in covid-19 cases reported in India. While B.1.1.7 and B.1.612.1 variants have begun to wane in recent weeks, a marked increase in the proportion of viruses sequenced as B.1.612.2 has been observed over the same period," the WHO said. Since the identification of these variants through late April 2021, B.1.617.1 and B.1.617.2 accounted for 21% and 7% of sequenced samples from India, respectively, the apex global public health agency said.

Preliminary analyses conducted by the WHO, using sequences submitted by India to a global database, suggest that B.1.617.1 and B.1.617.2 have a substantially higher growth rate than other circulating variants in India.

Too few sequences of B.1.617.3 have been detected to date to assess its relative transmissibility. Other studies suggest that the case numbers increased more rapidly during the most recent surge when variants B.1.1.7 and B.1.617 were circulating, compared to the first wave between June and October last year.

In a preliminary study on hamsters by the Indian Council of Medical Research, infection with B.1.617.1 resulted in increased body weight loss, higher viral load and pronounced lung lesions as compared to other B.1 variants.

At least 348,421 new covid-19 cases were registered in the past 24 hours.

Ten states reported 71% of the new cases. Maharashtra reported the highest daily new cases at 40,956, followed by Karnataka with 39,510 and Kerala with 37,290 new cases.

Also, 4,205 deaths were reported in the past 24 hours.

The 10 states with the highest caseloads also account for 73% of new deaths. Maharashtra saw the maximum casualties at 793, followed by Karnataka at 480, the Union health ministry said.

The Union health ministry on Wednesday said that reports terming the B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus as an Indian variant are without any basis and unfounded.

“This is to clarify that the WHO has not associated the term Indian variant with the B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus," the ministry said.

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