WHO assesses dangers of COVID Iota strain

Preliminary data established that the Iota variant of the coronavirus, first discovered in New York in November 2020, does not result in more severe disease, said Maria Van Kerkhove, the World Health Organization’s technical lead for COVID-19, Report informs referring to Sputnik International.

“There is some preliminary data from New York that found that the Iota variant did not lead to more severe disease and it was not associated with an increased risk of breakthrough or reinfection,” Van Kerkhove told a press briefing.

The WHO expert added that the Iota variant, in fact, was no more prevalent in the United States, making way for the Delta variant, first detected in India.

“Our understanding of the circulation of iota variant is that the prevalence of iota in the United States … is actually decreasing and the variant delta is actually increasing. So, the delta variant seems to outcompete the iota variant in terms of circulation,” she said.

Concerns over the Iota variant have been mounting, as fresh research by the New York City Department of Health and Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health revealed that it increases mortality among older adults and transmits 15-25 percent faster than other strains.