Virus strain behind deadly India outbreak detected in 44 nations

According to the World Health Organization, the more-infectious coronavirus driving a catastrophic Covid-19 epidemic in India was detected in 44 countries, which urged more studies to understand its severity and propensity to cause reinfections.

The strain, identified in October, spawned three versions -- B.1.617.1, B.1.617.2 and B.1.617.3 -- amid an unprecedented spike in Covid-19 cases that made the South Asian country the site of world’s worst coronavirus crisis. Though there may be important differences among the three, the available evidence is too limited to characterize them individually, the WHO said in a report Tuesday. Any impacts on effectiveness of vaccines or therapeutics remain uncertain, it said.