By Devjyot Ghoshal and Krishna N. Das
NEW DELHI, May 1 (Reuters) - A forum of scientific advisers set up by the government warned Indian officials in early March of a new and more contagious variant of the coronavirus taking hold in the country, five scientists who are part of the forum told Reuters.
Despite the warning, four of the scientists said the federal government did not seek to impose major restrictions to stop the spread of the virus. Millions of largely unmasked people attended religious festivals and political rallies that were held by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and opposition politicians.
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NEW DELHI (Reuters) - A forum of scientific advisers set up by the government warned Indian officials in early March of a new and more contagious variant of the coronavirus taking hold in the country, five scientists who are part of the forum told Reuters.
Abhishek Bhardwaj stands after cremating his mother, who died due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at a crematorium ground in New Delhi, India, April 28, 2021. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui
Despite the warning, four of the scientists said the federal government did not seek to impose major restrictions to stop the spread of the virus. Millions of largely unmasked people attended religious festivals and political rallies that were held by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and opposition politicians.
Exclusive: Scientists say India government ignored warnings amid coronavirus surge yahoo.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from yahoo.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
By Krishna N. Das
NEW DELHI, May 1 (Reuters) - A forum of scientific advisers set up by the Indian government has told authorities about minor mutations in some samples of the coronavirus that could possibly evade immune response and require more study, a leader of the forum has told Reuters.
However the advisers said while they were flagging the mutations, there was no reason currently to believe they were expanding or could be dangerous.
Scientists are studying what led to the current surge in cases in India and particularly whether a variant first detected in the country, called B.1.617, is to blame. The World Health Organization has not declared the Indian variant a variant of concern, as it has done for variants first detected in Britain, Brazil and South Africa. But the WHO said on April 27 that its early modelling, based on genome sequencing, suggested that B.1.617 had a higher growth rate than other variants circulating in India.
Indian scientists flag virus mutations that could evade immune response swissinfo.ch - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from swissinfo.ch Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.