The COVID-19 variant thought to be behind a devastating surge of infections and deaths in India has been identified in 17 countries worldwide, including multiple European nations.
According to data collected by Euronews from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the B.1.617 variant — also known as the Indian variant because it was first detected in the Southeast Asian country — has now been found in seven European countries.
These are Belgium, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, and the UK.
The UK had by April 21 detected 132 cases — the most of any European country. The other European countries have so far seen fewer than 10 cases each.
In its latest weekly update released on Tuesday, the World Health Organisation flagged that “at least 17 countries” have seen viruses with the Indian variant and that most of the samples “come from India, the United Kingdom, the United States and Singapore.”
The B.1.617 variant has many sub-lineages which slightly differ by their characteristic mutations, but one of the main ones, called L452R, has been associated with increased transmissibility and lower immunity to treatment, including vaccination, the WHO noted.
India passed the grim discovery of 200,000 COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday, with more than 3,000 deaths reported over the previous 24 hours — a daily record for the country. The number of deaths has risen in recent weeks, with about 44,000 deaths recorded since March.
It has also detected more than 300,000 new viruses for the seventh consecutive day.
The dramatic site has been produced by shortages of medical supplies, helping multiple other countries to make pass shipments.
The first delivery of ventilators and oxygen concentrators from the UK arrived in India on Tuesday while a French plane was on its way. The European Union and the US have also pledged support.
In response to the variant, the UK, France, Germany, and Belgium have closed their borders to tourists from India, raising only their citizens and residents to enter with strict quarantine calls upon arrival.