Scientific American
Large gatherings and much more lenient restrictions have allowed the virus to spread at devastating levels
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Young man returns to his home after getting his COVID-19 shot following the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh’s government giving permission to vaccinate people older than 18. Credit: Pradeep Gaur
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India’s relatively mild first wave of COVID last year intrigued scientists and led the country’s leadership to declare what turned out to be a very premature victory over the novel coronavirus. The current surge has been much more deadly. Some researchers and media outlets have pinned the blame on new viral variants, which early studies suggest may be more transmissible than the original strain. But many experts familiar with the situation on the ground argue that large gatherings and crowds in closed, compact urban spaces in contrast with the draconian lockdown imposed during the first wave are driving most of the spread.
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B.1.617 is more adept at entering cells
London: Double-mutant variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617 that has emerged in India, entered certain types of lung and intestine cells with slightly increased efficiency compared with the original wild-type strain, say researchers.
The researchers, including Markus Hoffmann from German Primate Center, also reported that the entry of B.1.617 into the lung and intestinal cells was blocked following treatment with soluble angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) or the serine protease inhibitor Camostat.
However, this host cell entry was not blocked by the monoclonal antibody Bamlanivimab, which has received emergency use authorization (EUA) as a COVID-19 treatment.