According to Chief Scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan, the Delta Plus version of the coronavirus is not now a “variant of concern” for the World Health Organization, since infection levels are still low.
She also stated that certain countries’ refusal to include Covishield in their vaccination passport programme, which will allow for hassle-free travel during the epidemic, had “no sense.”
“This was done mostly on a technicality since the AstraZeneca vaccine is available under a different brand in Europe,” Dr Swaminathan said.
She stated that the WHO is in discussions with the European medical authorities about include Covishield in vaccination passports.
She predicted that the agency will make a decision on Covaxin approval by the second week of August.
Last month, the authorities designated the Delta plus variation, a new mutant form of the Delta strain initially discovered in India, as a “variant of concern,” warning states to be on the lookout.
Delta Plus instances have been identified in at least 12 states, just as India is recovering from the fatal second wave of Covid and cases are declining. Delta Plus instances have been found in more than 12 countries around the world.
The new Delta Plus variation is officially known as B.1.617.2.1 or AY.1, and it was created by a mutation known as K417N in the Delta or B.1.617.2 variety. Experts believe the change is in SARS-spike COV-2’s protein, which aids the virus’s entry and infection of human cells.98
