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How many variants of concern (VOCs) are listed by WHO? Which is the most concerning?
Till date, WHO has listed four variants of concern (VOC)—Alpha [B.1.1.7], Beta [B.1.351], Gamma [P.1] and Delta [B.1.617.2]. All VOCs are more transmissible, the Delta VOC is the most transmissible. It is spreading rapidly and has been identified in over 90 countries.
How concerned is the WHO regarding the Delta plus variant? Should nations be more worried about its spread?
Delta plus is the Delta VOC with an additional spike mutation. WHO is tracking it as part of the Delta variant, as we are doing for other VOCs with additional mutations.
All VOCs, including Delta, pose a higher public health risk as they are more transmissible. Increase in transmission means rapid spread, more cases, more hospitalisation, increased pressure on health systems and health care workers, and increased risk of deaths. The VOCs, along with opening of economies and societies, contributed to the recent surge in cases globally.
You had recently given a special advisory for the south and southeast Asia region. Are these areas more vulnerable to the rise of new variants?
Early this year, we witnessed a rapid surge in COVID-19 cases globally, including in countries of WHO Southeast Asia Region. Though we are now witnessing a decline in some countries, the risk remains. The pandemic is still around. We need to do all we can to prevent virus transmission and guard against complacency at all levels – an important lesson from the recent surge.
All countries need to stringently implement public health and social measures, and scale up vaccination. Public health and social measures are a wide range of non-pharmaceutical interventions, both individual and societal, and are cost-effective. Countries must strengthen surveillance, contact-tracing, isolation, and quarantine. As individuals, we must ensure that we follow personal protective measures such as hand hygiene, physical distancing, and wearing masks properly. Physical distancing measures such as limiting the size of gatherings, maintaining distance in public or workplaces, domestic and international movement and travel restrictions should be implemented based on risk-assessment. In areas with transmission of VOCs, these measures need to be administered for a longer time.
We must not give the virus more opportunities to spread, mutate and kill.
At the rate at which many new variants—more transmissible and virulent than previous ones—are emerging, when do we see the pandemic coming under control?
While we do not know how long the pandemic will last, we do know that public health and social measures, when implemented well, are effective in curtailing virus transmission. Though currently in limited supply, we also have vaccines that are effective even against VOCs, for preventing severe disease and death. Hence, scaling up these efforts are critical for controlling the pandemic.
India seems to be emerging from its second wave. What recommendations do you suggest for the way forward?
The most important lesson from the recent surge is that at no cost can we let our guard down, at any level. This pandemic needs each and every individual to contribute by following Covid-19 appropriate behaviour. Authorities must continue to assess the situation and implement tailored public health and social measures. The onus is on all of us—governments and individuals—to fight back together against this virus.
Given that there is no vaccine approved for children in India, how should school reopening be coordinated?
The decision to reopen schools and other educational institutes rests with governments. WHO recommends that decisions to impose or ease restrictions should be guided by risk assessment at the sub-national level, which includes level of virus transmission, vulnerability of the population and health systems’ capacities.
