Media reports about WHO classifying B.1.617 as `Indian COVID variant of concern` unfounded: Govt

The Government of India on Wednesday clarified that media reports about the World Health Organisation (WHO) classifying B.1.617 as the `Indian COVID-19 variant of global concern` is utterly unfounded and without any basis.

NEW DELHI: The Government of India on Wednesday dismissed that media reports about the World Health Organisation (WHO) classifying B.1.617 as the “Indian COVID-19 variant of global concern” as utterly "unfounded and without any basis."

“Several media reports have covered the news of WHO classifying B.1.617 as a variant of global concern. Some of these reports have termed the B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus as an “Indian Variant”. These media reports are without any basis, and unfounded,” the government said in an official statement.

It further clarified that “the WHO has not associated the term “Indian Variant” with the B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus in its 32 page document. In fact, the word “Indian” has not been used in its report on the matter.”

The clarification from the Centre came in the wake of media reports that said that the WHO has classified B.1.617 as the Indian COVID variant of global concern. The report said that Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, COVID-19 Technical Lead at the WHO, has told that the B.1.617 virus variant has been classified as a variant of interest by the WHO.

It was also reported that the B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus, first identified in India last year, has been found in 44 countries, citing a report by World Health Organization.

The UN body routinely assesses if variants of SARS-CoV-2 result in changes in transmissibility and severity, or if they lead to changes in public health and social measures' implementation by national health authorities.

“As of May 11, over 4,500 sequences have been uploaded to GISAID and assigned to B.1.617 from 44 countries in all six WHO regions,” the global health body reportedly said in its latest weekly epidemiological update published on Tuesday.

GISAID is a global science initiative and primary source that provides open access to genomic data of the novel coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.

In its report, the WHO has characterized the lineage B.1.617 as a variant of concern (VOC). Variants of concern are those considered more dangerous than the original form of the virus first seen in China in late 2019.

That danger stems from a variant's higher transmissibility, lethality and resistance to vaccines, or either of them, it said. B.1.617 contains three sub-lineages, which differ by few but potentially relevant mutations in the spike protein - this helps the virus enter the human cells, as well as the prevalence of detection globally, the UN health agency said in its report.

At the present time, WHO has designated B.1.617 as a VOC based on early evidence of phenotypic impacts compared to other circulating virus variants, the agency said.

According to it, B.1.617 sub-lineages appear to have higher rates of transmission, including observed rapid increases in prevalence in multiple countries.

Viruses in the B.1.617 lineage were first reported in India in October 2020. The resurgence in COVID-19 cases and deaths in India have raised questions on the potential role of B.1.617 and other variants such as B.1.1.7 in circulation.

A mutation means a change in a nucleic acid base or amino acid molecule, and a virus containing this change is termed a mutant. Mutations eventually accumulate to generate variants that differ from the original virus more and more, and so, a variant can have limited or even cumulative mutations.

A recent risk assessment of the situation in India conducted by WHO found that resurgence and acceleration of COVID-19 transmission in India had several potential contributing factors.

The prevalence of several VOCs, including the B.1.1.7 and B.1.612 sub-lineages, increased concurrent to the surge in COVID-19 cases were reported in India, according to WHO.

“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,” it said.

A preliminary analysis conducted by WHO using sequences submitted to GISAID suggests that B.1.617.1 and B.1.617.2 have a substantially higher growth rate than other circulating variants in India, suggesting potential increased transmissibility.

(With Agency inputs)