US Vaccines Effective Against Covid Variant Found In India: Top Officials

The B.1.617 virus variant, first identified in India last year, has been classified as a ''variant of concern'' at the global level by the World Health Organisation.

COVID-19 vaccines that are available in the United States are effective against the deadly variant that was first detected in India, top US health officials said on Tuesday. The B.1.617 virus variant, first identified in India last year, has been classified as a ''variant of concern'' at the global level by the World Health Organisation. "The modest neutralisation resistance to the 617 antibodies suggests that the current vaccines that we are all using that we've been speaking about would be at least partially and probably quite protective," Dr Anthony Fauci, Director of US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the chief medical advisor to the President told reporters during a news conference in Washington. Making a presentation of his data and latest research on this issue, Dr Fauci said that both the variants B617 and B1618, that have been identified in India, have been neutralized with only a 2.5 fold diminution in titer. "That's well within the cushion effect of the capability to protect against infection and certainly against serious disease".