A fast-spreading strain of Covid-19 first identified in India will be classified as a variant of concern by the World Health Organization. The global health group will publish a detailed report Tuesday on the variant, called B.1.617, said Maria van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead officer on Covid-19.
“There is some available information to suggest increased transmissibility,” she said at a media briefing on Monday. A study of a limited number of patients that has not undergone peer review also suggested that the mutant can evade some key antibodies, she said. “As such, we’re classifying this as a variant of concern at the global level.”
