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“To understand the scale: there were almost as many cases last week as in the first five months of the pandemic,” Ghebreyesus said. The situation in India in particular is “more than heartbreaking”.
The WHO has not yet published new weekly figures on its page. On April 19, it was reported that nearly 5.7 million had been approved worldwide in one week. infections, more than 400,000 more than a week before.
Warns against jumping to conclusions about the Indian strain of coronavirus
The World Health Organization (WHO) warns against jumping to conclusions about a new strain of coronavirus B.1.617 detected in India.
The organization is monitoring the mutation but has not yet identified it as a concern, said a WHO spokeswoman in Geneva. It is currently unclear to what extent this mutation is associated with a large increase in the number of COVID-19 infections in India. According to the representative, there are many factors that could have caused a sharp increase in cases in this country.
Lately, in India, for example, there have been many celebrations and events that many people have attended. Furthermore, B.1.617 is spreading alongside other more contagious strains, such as the British one.
It is also not yet known whether B.1.617 is more likely to cause a severe course of the disease and, with it, a higher number of deaths, the spokeswoman said. The high death rates in India, he said, may also be related to the fact that hospitals have reached their limits.
India reported more than 350,000 new infections a day on Monday, more than any other country in 24 hours. 1.3 billion India, with a population of more than 17,000, has registered a total of more than 17 million people. cases of infection.
In addition to the British strain B.1.1.7, the WHO has also identified the B.1.351 mutation and the Brazilian variant P.1 of the virus as cause for concern. According to the WHO, a disruptive strain is known if it is known to spread more easily, cause a more severe course of the disease, “escape” the immune system, change clinical signs, or reduce the effectiveness of known instruments.
The variety B.1.617 was first introduced in India on December 1, 2020.
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