United Nations: The B-1617 version of the coronavirus, first recognized in India, has been classified as a 'variation of concern' at the international level by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, COVID-19 Technical Lead at the WHO, said Monday that the B.
1.617 infection variant that was first determined in India had been categorized as a 'version of interest' by the WHO.
She said the Epi team and WHO lab team has been going over with the WHO virus development working group this variant and whatever that they learn about it in regards to transmissibility and any research studies that are being performed in India in addition to in other countries where this infection is distributing.
In consultation with our infection development working group, and our Epi teams and our laboratory teams internally, there is some offered information to suggest increased transmissibility of B-1617 as such we are classifying this as a version of concern at the worldwide level, she said.She included that even though there is increased transmissibility shown by some preliminary studies, we require a lot more information about this infection version in this family tree, so we need more targeted sequencing to be done, and to be shared in India and elsewhere so that we understand just how much of this infection is distributing.
She added that there is need for additional information on the epidemiologic studies that are underway, the studies that are assessing neutralization severity.
Up until now from the information that we have (is) the public health and social measures work, however we need to work that much more difficult to control any virus variants that have demonstrated increased transmissibility, she said, including that WHO does not have anything to recommend that our diagnostics or therapeutics and our vaccines don't work.
This is very important.
We will continue to see versions emerge.
We will continue to see variants of concern around the globe and we must do whatever that we can to truly restrict the spread, limit infections, avoid the spread and decrease extreme illness and death with the tools that we have at hand, she said.
She emphasised that no matter where one lives and no matter what infections are flowing, we require to ensure that we take all of the procedures at hand to prevent ourselves from getting sick.
It's the private level measures, physical distancing, hand health, wearing of a mask, avoiding crowded spaces, improving ventilation if you can work from house, all of the measures that are at hand and ensuring that governments provide a helpful and a making it possible for environment so that we can carry out measure that can keep us safe, she included.