INDIA'S VIRUS SURGE BARED

Doctors, the public and news media in India point to a so-called “double mutant” coronavirus variant — both more contagious and more resistant to vaccines — as the explanation for skyrocketing cases, according to the Thursday Briefing by The New York Times.

Scientists say the data is too thin, and cite other possible reasons behind the country’s second wave.

India’s worries have focused on a homegrown variant called B.1.617. But researchers outside of India say the better-known B.1.1.7 variant, which walloped Britain late last year and is now the most common source of new infection in the U.S., may be a more considerable factor.

It is now rising quickly in New Delhi.

More obvious factors could also explain the viciousness of the outbreak. Less than two percent of Indians are fully vaccinated, the paper said.

After the first wave, people relaxed their public behavior. And Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently held large political rallies that may have helped spread the virus and sent a message to people that the worst was over.

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