Delta Plus: As the United States tackles the Delta variant, India then warns of mutated new COVID strains

New Delhi — Doctors and epidemiologists are closely monitoring the growth of yet another person Coronavirus Variants detected in nearly 12 countries, including US concerns about the so-called Delta Plus variant — Delta strains that are currently widespread First detected in India — it is more infectious than other variants and can cause more serious health problems, so this week Indian authorities have labeled it a “variant of concern”.

But while the rapid spread of variants and India’s painful experience with the original Delta strain has warned in vast countries, epidemiologists at home and abroad have warned more widely around the world about Delta Plus. It states that much more data is needed before it is issued.

Cases of Delta Plus are increasing rapidly in India, but the strain has also been detected in the United States, United Kingdom, China, Japan, Russia, Portugal, Switzerland and Poland.

On Tuesday, India labeled Delta Plus (or B.1.617.2.1) as the official variant of concern and urged three states, Maharashtra, Kerala, and Madhya Pradesh, to increase vigilance and strain screening. did. To date, more than 40 cases of DeltaPlus have been found in these states. At least one of the unvaccinated patients was fatal.

A consortium of Indian laboratories involved in genomic sequencing to identify and track the spread of various coronavirus variants told the government that DeltaPlus appears to have three concerns. More ability to attack lung cells; potential reduction in monoclonal antibody response, or simply resistance to vaccines and immunity gained by previous infections.

However, experts warn that such a small number would require much more data and research to determine if the new variant is really more difficult than the Delta strain.That variant is already Raising serious concerns in the United States It seems to spread much easier than previous strains, so even elsewhere.

The vaccine in use appears to be effective against the original delta variant, but Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former member of the Food and Drug Administration, told CBS’s “Face the Nation” in the United States. Unvaccinated Americans are at greatest risk and could lead to new outbreaks in the fall.

Dr. Lalit Kant, an Indian epidemiologist and former head of the Indian Medical Research Council, said experts need to “correlate mutant genomic data with clinical epidemiological information” to determine the threat it poses. Told CBS News. “At this stage, there is too little data to say for sure.”

“There isn’t much reason to believe this. [Delta Plus] Dr. Jeremy Kamil, a virologist at the Louisiana State University Center for Health Sciences, told BBC News, a partner network of CBS News, that it was “more dangerous than the original Delta.” I don’t think anyone else in India or the world has released or accumulated enough data to distinguish risk from the so-called Delta Plus and is more dangerous or concerned than the original Delta variant. ”

Dr. Ramanan Laxminarayan, an epidemiologist at the US-based Center for Pathological Economic Policy (CDDEP), should focus on collecting more data through DeltaPlus’s “Rapid Sequencing and Reliable Epidemiological Studies.” I agreed to be. However, he warned that “anecdotal evidence suggests that it is more contagious than previously seen.”

The Indian government’s decision to label Delta Plus a variant of concern may seem premature to many experts, but the original Delta variant was COVID-in India from April to May. 19 May be due to the fact that it is believed to have contributed to the second wave of infection. ..The surge has infected up to 400,000 people in the country for some time. Killed about 4,000 people a day..

While The second wave has diminished And much of India has been unblocked and a large number of people have returned to the streets and markets, returning to some extent normal. Experts have already warned about the possibility of a third wave within a few weeks.

India has recently been working to accelerate its vaccination program, but the majority of 1.3 billion people, including all minors who are not yet eligible for firing, are still vulnerable to another wave of infection.

The country still reports more than 50,000 cases and 1,000 deaths per day as a decline from the second wave, given the relatively low rate of COVID-related death testing and confirmation. , The actual number can be much higher.

There is concern that the spread of Delta Plus and other new variants could make things worse and move faster. The government’s own COVID-19 experts argue that there is no need to panic, but as Kamil told BBC News, the government “rather than appearing flat feet later, as in the case of the Delta variant. I want to overreact now. ”