Covid: WHO says virus strain in India a 'variant of concern' as Europe eases curbs

Geneva - The devastating wave has overwhelmed India’s healthcare system, and experts have said official figures for cases are much lower than the actual numbers.

Schools and stores reopened in parts of Europe on Monday, easing out of months of Covid-19 lockdowns, but the devastating outbreak raged on across the sub-continent and health experts declared the virus mutation in India a “variant of concern”.

The World Health Organization in Geneva said the B.1.617 variant spreading in India appears to be more contagious.

“As such, we are classifying this as a variant of concern at the global level,” said WHO’s Covid-19 lead Maria Van Kerkove.

The virus is still surging in many countries and the pandemic has killed close to 3.3 million people worldwide since late 2019, upending normal life and causing global economic chaos.

But rapid vaccination programmes have allowed a number of wealthy nations to start taking steps towards normality.

Ireland on Monday lifted domestic travel restrictions and began a phased reopening of non-essential retailers, while Greece opened nursery, elementary and middle schools ahead of kicking off the tourist season from May 14.

Tourism might get a shot in the arm from the European Union which said it was “fully on track” to ensure a Covid health pass would be ready in June to boost travel.

Britain, which has the highest Covid-19 death toll in Europe, announced the reopening of indoor seating in pubs and restaurants in England from next week.

“This unlocking amounts to a very considerable step on the road back to normality,” said Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The latest easing of restrictions came as England reported no daily virus deaths for the first time in over a year following a successful vaccination campaign

Spain, which at the weekend lifted a six-month state of emergency and allowed travel between regions, sounded a note of caution after joyful crowds celebrated in the streets mask-less and without observing social distancing.

“The end of the state of emergency does not mean the end of restrictions. Far from it. The virus threat still exists,” Justice Minister Juan Carlos Campo wrote in El Pais, urging Spaniards to behave “responsibly.”

Cyprus on Monday exited a third partial lockdown with a new coronavirus “safety pass” system to allow people to move freely.

And in Germany, people fully vaccinated against Covid-19 were exempt from many restrictions from Sunday after the government passed new legislation.

Berlin also opened access to the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine to all adults on Monday, lifting a priority system.

But in Norway, an expert government committee recommended the Johnson & Johnson and the AstraZeneca jabs be dropped over the risks of rare but serious side effects.

Meanwhile, German firm BioNTech, which developed a vaccine with US pharma giant Pfizer, announced a $200 million joint venture with China’s Shanghai Fosum Pharmaceutical to produce up to one billion jabs a year and said it was building its own Southeast Asia manufacturing site in Singapore.

India, suffering from one of the worst outbreaks in the world, reported nearly 370,000 fresh infections and more than 3,700 new deaths on Monday.