The Indian variant has been discovered in “at least 17 countries,” according to the World Health Organization

France Media

According to the World Health Organization, the B.1617 variant, better known as the Indian variant due to its first occurrence in India, has been detected in more than 1,200 genome sequences, in “at least 17 countries”.

“Most of the snapshots uploaded to the GISAID database come from India, the United Kingdom, the United States and Singapore,” the World Health Organization said in its weekly epidemic update.

In recent days, the variant has also been reported in several European countries (Belgium, Switzerland, Greece, and Italy).

The initial sequencing-based WHO modeling provided to GISAID indicates that “B.1617 has a higher growth rate than other variants prevalent in India, indicating greater contagion.”

The World Health Organization recently classified this variable as a “variable of interest” rather than a “variable of concern”. However, this last name indicates that this variant is more dangerous (larger infectious, more lethal and able to escape vaccinations against the vaccine).

This alternative still raises questions. The World Health Organization says “other behaviors” could be the reason for the resurgence of cases in India, such as non-compliance with health restrictions and mass gatherings.

The organization also notes that other variables currently in circulation are highly contagious, but the combination of these two factors “may play a role in the re-emergence of cases” in India.