WHO warns variant in India could be highly contagious

世卫组织警告：印度的变异病毒可能具有高度传染性

A virus variant that has been spreading rapidly in India and designated a variant of concern by the World Health Organization (WHO) might be more contagious than most versions of the coronavirus, the agency said in a report it published on Tuesday evening.

世界卫生组织(WHO)在周二晚间发布的一份报告中称，一种病毒变种已经在印度迅速传播，世卫组织将其列为“需关注的变异株”，可能比大多数新冠变种更具传染性。

The WHO emphasised in its report that it wasn’t yet clear how much the variant, known as B.1.617, had contributed to the devastating surge that has crushed India in recent weeks. It cautioned that India, like many countries, is only sequencing a tiny fraction of positive samples, and that with so little surveillance, it’s difficult to reach any firm conclusions about B.1.617.

世卫组织在报告中强调，目前尚不清楚这种被命名为B.1.617的变种在多大程度上导致了最近几周灾难性疫情席卷印度，病例激增。世卫组织警告称，和许多国家一样，印度只对一小部分阳性样本进行测序，而且由于检测如此之少，很难就B.1.617得出任何确定的结论。

The WHO study comes amid calls for nationwide restrictions in India to try to limit the death toll, as hospitals are overrun and crematories burn nonstop. Experts also caution that it is not yet clear just how much of a factor B.1.617 has played in the explosion of cases in India. They point to a perfect storm of public health blunders, such as permitting enormous political rallies and religious festivals in recent months.

世卫组织发布这项研究之际，正值呼吁印度在全国范围内采取限制措施，以降低死亡人数，因为医院已经人满为患，火葬场也在不停地焚化尸体。专家们还警告，目前还不清楚B.1.617在印度病例激增中起了多大作用。他们指出了印度在公共卫生方面犯的严重错误，比如最近几个月允许举办大型集会，庆祝宗教节日。

The WHO speculated that another variant known as B.1.1.7, first identified in Britain and now dominant in the US, might also be driving the swell in cases. Stacia Wyman, a genomics scientist at the University of California, Berkeley, said the WHO had made the right decision. She pointed to the fact that the variant had already spread to at least 49 countries. “This appears to be posing the biggest threat right now in terms of transmissibility, with many countries reporting increasing trajectories of the B.1.617 variant,” she said.

世界卫生组织推测，另一种被称为B.1.1.7的变种可能也导致了病例的激增，这种变异最初在英国发现，现在在美国流行。加州大学伯克利分校的基因组学家斯达卡·怀曼表示，世卫组织做出了正确的决定。她指出，这种变种已经扩散到至少49个国家。她说:“从传播的角度来看，这种变种似乎是目前最大的威胁，许多国家报告了B.1.617变种的增长轨迹。”

以下是印度时报读者的评论：译者：Jessica.Wu

Sunny

Earlier in the year, godi proudly declared that India successfully defeated Covid.

今年早些时候，莫迪自豪地宣布，印度成功战胜了新冠病毒。

Bharatiya Mumbai

Feku virus is the most contagious virus in universe.

It destroys the brain of the person where it spreads and then person spreads it to several others.

莫迪病毒是宇宙中最具传染性的病毒。它能摧毁人的大脑，然后传染到其他人身上。

Ra Kural

The problem is people not the govt. If people listened and adhered to the covid rules ----kumbgh mela should not have happened. The people have to be responsible and not blaming the govt. Cmon its simple wear a mask and social distance.

问题在于人民而不是政府，如果人们听从并遵守新冠肺炎的预防规定----就不会举办大壶节。人民应该对此负责，而不是指责政府。

Mark

It is clearly now that Modi is main culprit religious events like Kumbh are the biggest spreader of covid. His massive rallies in Bengal are the inventors of new variant.

现在很清楚了，莫迪是罪魁祸首，大壶节这样的宗教事件导致很多人感染。孟加拉邦的大规模集会导致新变种的产生。

Sunitha Sundarrajan

Modi was obsessed with power doing election rallies in WB and KL ignoring warnings and spikes in cases. Fear of vote bank loss, he did not ban kumbh fearing loss in upcountry UP election, but begged Sadhus to tone down gatherings. Results are before our eyes.

莫迪沉迷于在西孟加拉邦举行选举集会，无视警告和病例激增。由于害怕失去北方邦的票仓，他没有下令禁止举办大壶节活动。后果摆在眼前了。

Diogo Monteiro

Wait for some time everything will come out soon and nothing can be hidden. People who have done this pandemic must be brought to justice. They have killed and destroyed lives.

等待一段时间，一切都将水落石出，没有什么可以隐瞒住的。我们必须将造成这一流行病的人绳之以法，他们害死了很多人。

humanhere

WHO is corrupt body

世卫组织是一个腐败机构

Deepak

Ssshhhh! Don't disturb Modi! He is building central vista project which is more important and will give India super power status!

不要打扰莫迪!

他正在建设中央远景重建项目，这项目更重要，将使印度获得超级大国地位!

Raj

What is the purpose of Kumbh Mela? If the god they worshipped is true Covid rates should have gone down. Instead the numbers skyrocketed to 1000 folds. It tells us that BJP is scamming people in the name of religion. Hope my people wake up sooner and think clearly not to be deceived this con men.

举办大壶节是为了什么?

如果他们崇拜的神是真的，那么感染率就应该下降。相反，数字飙升了1000倍。这告诉我们，人民党正在以宗教的名义欺骗人们。希望人们能早点清醒过来，不要再被这个骗子骗了。

Mandeep Singh

PM, Health Minister, Principal Secretary, Health Secretaries of States, all CM's, should be taken to the court and tried for Manslaughter charges. Why all these people should not be behind the bars?

总理、卫生部长、首席秘书、卫生秘书，所有首席部长都应该被带上法庭，以过失杀人罪受审。为什么这些人还没被关进监 狱?

Sanjay

the real problem is government took it lightly as well as peoples

真正的问题是政府和人民都不重视

Bharat Sharma

Thanks to arrogance of Mr Modi and his management , not only India but whole world is under danger now.

由于莫迪的无知，处理不当，不仅印度，整个世界现在都处于危险之中。

Mahesh Kulkarni

WHO is most incompetent organization. They are only spreading fear in India. Exploiting the situation for the benifit

benifit of giant pharma companies.

世卫组织是最无能的组织，他们只会在印度传播恐惧。利用形势为制药巨头谋取利益

Rishi Vijan

Who cares what the WHO things,

谁在乎世卫组织怎么说

Global Buffoon Modi

now feku has India to a beggar country begging for vaccines from other countries..... foreign nirbhar Bharat

莫迪把印度变成了一个乞丐国家，向其他国家乞讨疫苗....

S R

WHO is not reliable

世卫组织不可信。