1. It is called B.1.617.
2. It was first identified in India last December.
3. it has mutations that makes the virus more transmissible, cause more severe disease or evade vaccine immunity.
4. United Kingdom, Brazil and South Africa, have been categorised as “variants of concern,” a higher threat level.
5. The highly transmissible B.117 variant first detected in the UK is said to be behind spikes in some parts of India.
6. The UK variant cases almost doubled during the second half of March.
7. The Indian variant is widely present in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and capital territory Delhi.
8. The Indian variant alone not reason for India’s huge surge, fingers pointing instead to large social gatherings.
10. Covaxin, a vaccine developed in India, appears capable of neutralising the variant.
11. Daily cases now near 400, 000.
12. Only 10 percent of India’s 1.35 billion people, 45 years and above, have received at least one vaccine dose.
