Covid-19: the "Indian variant" raises serious concerns
Workers flee the Indian capital, Ghaziabad, on the outskirts of New Delhi, on the day of containment, April 19, 2021. © REUTERS / Adnan Abidi
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
The fight against Covid-19 is still as complicated as ever, in particular by the emergence of certain variants.
In India, cases explode after a lull of a few months: 220,000 cases have been listed on average every day for a week.
The capital New Delhi has also reconfigured since Monday.
The appearance of a new variant, the “Indian variant” could be at the origin of this epidemic rebound.
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B.1.617 of its real name or rather the Indian variant or "double mutant", which would therefore present two mutations.
One observed on the Californian variant, the other close to the Brazilian and South African variants.
“
A mutation that makes it more contagious and a mutation that would make it less accessible to the immune system.
That is to say, to vaccine protection.
It represents nearly 55% of contamination cases
, ”explains Patrick Berche, microbiologist and member of the Academy of Medicine.
55% in the state of Maharashtra, that of Bombay, the economic capital of the country, between 2 and 10% of the contaminations in the rest of India which would be largely due to this recombinant detected for the first time in October, according to scientists.
The "double mutant" is said to have characteristics of concern to Indian caregivers.
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Read also: Covid-19 in India: hospitals overwhelmed by a violent second wave
Nearly 200 cases detected in Europe
"
They have a lot of cases in young subjects and even in children
," continues Professor Patrick Berche.
This is quite worrying.
But that requires verification.
At the moment, this is not supported by any publications.
We have indications which could suggest that the virus is becoming more virulent but it is not confirmed.
"
There is also no evidence to confirm that the variant is undetectable during PCR tests.
But it worries the countries of Europe a lot: nearly 200 cases have already been detected on the continent.
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To read also: Covdi-19 in India: New Delhi confined for a week at least
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Coronavirus
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Health and medicine