New Covid-19 variants are not serious threats: Top scientist
New Covid-19 variants are not serious threats:
Top scientist
Jun 6, 2025
Credit: Getty Images
As India sees a rise in Covid-19 cases, leading Indian immunologist Dr. Vineeta Bal has said that the new variants currently in circulation are not serious threats.
Dr. Bal, former scientist at the National Institute of Immunology, told IndiaToday.in that new mutations of the virus are spreading, they are not causing alarm like Delta.
Several parts of India are reporting an increase in Covid-19 cases, largely due to new sub-lineages of the virus.
However, experts believe that this uptick is not linked to a rise in severity of illness or deaths. Most deaths are said to be because of underlying conditions.
Dr. Bal explained that the current wave of Covid-19 is very different from what India experienced during the Delta wave in 2021.
"Back then, the virus was new to our immune systems, and the population had not been exposed to it before. That led to widespread severe illness and a major public health crisis,' she said.
New virus
Widespread vaccination and natural infections have helped build community-level immunity across most of the population.
Community immunity
"We are now continuously managing new variants as they emerge. This doesn't mean the virus is gone or harmless, but the level of threat is quite low," she said.
New variants: Mild cases
As Covid continues to shift toward an endemic stage, Dr. Bal said that it is unlikely that any new variant now will cause major illness or high fatality rates.
The government has advised the public to practise hand hygiene, cough etiquette, and avoid crowded places when unwell.
Hygiene protocol
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