At least 240 new Coronavirus variants have reportedly been found in one of the world’s most populous nations, India.
The New Delhi TV (NDTV) and RT reported on Monday, February 22, 2021 that the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) announced the grim discovery on Sunday, February 21, 2021.
According to the report, AIIMS warned that the variants were found nationwide in India.
The latest discovery in India comes on the back of the prevalence of new variants which were the driving forces behind second and third waves of Coronavirus in the UK, South Africa and Brazil.
According to NDTV and RT in their report monitored by DGN Online, health officials in India have cautioned that a number of of the new variants were potentially more infectious and could even be capable of evading immune responses altogether.
The new variants are likely behind the sudden spike of new cases in several Indian states, including Maharashtra – the second most populous state housing the city of Mumbai – a member of the regional Covid-19 task force, Shahshank Joshi, told NDTV.
According to the report, the
Head of the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Randeep Guleria, cautioned that some of the new variants could be highly transmissible or potentially more dangerous as they presented an “escape mechanism” which could cause re-infection.
Several districts in the country were about to enter into stricter lockdown conditions from Monday, reports NDTV.
The districts Maharashtra where 6,971 new cases and 35 Covid-related deaths were reported on Sunday.
By Melvin Tarlue