The virus’s B.1.617 strain has been named a triple mutant variety since it has divided into three lineages, adding to the groans. WHO classified the whole strain a “variant of concern,” or VOC, last month, but on Tuesday stated perhaps one of the sub-lineages earned the designation.
Just one strain of the Covid-19 Delta variation, which was initially discovered in India, is now regarded “of concern,” according to the WHO, while two others have been lowered.
The virus’s B.1.617 variation, which has been blamed in part for the country’s explosive epidemic, has been designated a triple aberrant variation since it is divided into three genomes.
Last month, the UN classified the entire strain a “variant of concern,” or VOC, but on Tuesday, it decided that just one of the sub-lineages warranted that designation.
“It has become clear that B.1.617.2 is presently linked with significant public health hazards, although lower rates of transmission of other lineages have been identified,” the WHO stated in its weekly pandemic epidemiology report.
The B.1.617.2 variation is still classified as a VOC, as are three additional virus variations that are considered to be more hazardous than the original because they are more transmissible, lethal, or have the ability to evade vaccination protection.
That variation has now been renamed Delta, in accordance with a decision made Monday to refer to the variations using Greek letters in order to avoid the possible stigmatization associated with referring to them with the names of the nations where they were initially found.
“We continue to see dramatically enhanced transmissibility, as well as an increasing number of countries reporting outbreaks linked to this strain,” the UN agency stated.
“Further research into the effects of this variation remains a top priority for WHO,” says the report.
In reality, a new hybrid type disclosed on Saturday by Vietnam’s health authorities looks to be a Delta version.
“What we understand is that it’s this B.1.617.2 variation with one extra deletion in the spike protein site,” Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s the technical lead on Covid-19, told reporters Tuesday.
“We know that the Delta variety, B.1.617.2, has greater transmissibility, which means it may transmit between people more easily,” she noted. In the meanwhile, the B.1.617.1 sub-lineage has been renamed Kappa and reduced to a “variant of interest.” According to WHO, “very few reports of this variety have been recorded to date,” hence the B.1.617.3 is no longer deemed of interest.
