With India¡¯s daily tally of COVID-19 infections surging by records, public health experts worry that a new ¡ª possibly more virulent ¡ª coronavirus variant could be racing through the crowded nation of more than 1.3 billion people.
The new variant, which has a so-called double mutation, is thought to be fueling India¡¯s deadlier new wave of cases that has made it the world¡¯s second worst-hit country, surpassing Brazil again, and has already begun to overwhelm its hospitals and crematoriums. India has reported more than 14.5 million COVID-19 cases so far and more than 175,600 fatalities.
¡°This is a variant of interest we are following,¡± Maria Van Kerkhove, the World Health Organization¡¯s technical lead officer on COVID-19, told reporters Friday. ¡°Having two of these mutations, which have been seen in other variants around the world, are concerning,¡± she said, adding that there was a similarity with mutations that increase transmission as well as reduce neutralization, possibly stunting the ability of vaccines to curb them.
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