(REUTERS): A panel of Indian scientists set up by the government warned officials in early March of a new and more contagious variant of the coronavirus taking hold in the country, it has emerged.
Five scientists who are part of the forum told an international news agency that despite the warning, India’s federal government did not seek to impose major restrictions to stop the spread of the virus.
Millions of largely unmasked people attended religious festivals and political rallies that were held by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and opposition politicians. Tens of thousands of protesting farmers, meanwhile, continued to camp on the edge of New Delhi.
The warning about the new variant in early March was issued by the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genetics Consortium, or INSACOG. It was conveyed to a top official who reports directly to the prime minister, according to one of the scientists.
INSACOG was set up as a forum of scientific advisers by the government in late December specifically to detect genomic variants of the coronavirus. Researchers first detected B.1.617, which is now known as the Indian variant of the virus, as early as February, Ajay Parida, an official of INSACOG, told an international news agency.
The forum shared its findings with the health ministry’s National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) before March 10, warning that infections could quickly increase in parts of the country. The ministry made the findings public about two weeks later, on March 24, when it issued a statement to the media that did not include the words “high concern.”
However, some scientists say the surge was much larger than expected and the setback cannot be pinned on political leadership alone. “There is no point blaming the government,” Saumitra Das, another official of INSACOG said.
The Indian variant has now reached at least 17 countries including Britain, Switzerland and Iran, leading several governments to close their borders to people travelling from India.
