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The Southern Nevada Health District said Tuesday that it had detected the first known case in Clark County of a potentially more infectious coronavirus strain first spotted in India. The strain, or variant, was detected in a COVID-19 test sample whose genetic code was analyzed, or “sequenced,” by the Southern Nevada Public Health Laboratory. The Clark County resident who tested positive for what is officially known as the B.1.617.2 variant is a woman in her 20s who did not report any recent travel. The woman, who had not been vaccinated against COVID-19, did not require hospitalization. (Hynes, 5/11)

The variant of the coronavirus first detected in India, which is believed to be driving the explosion of cases there, has now been found in 49 countries, according to the World Health Organization. The version, which has been named B.1.617, was upgraded on Monday to a “variant of concern” by the WHO amid evidence that it transmits faster than the original virus and may be more resistant to some covid treatments as well as antibodies. Lab testing has still shown some degree of vaccine effectiveness against it. Britain has reported the most cases of the variant outside India. (Schemm, 5/12)

Coronavirus vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna appeared to remain effective against a subtype of the Indian virus variant, according to early findings presented Tuesday from researchers at Emory University. The findings, posted to bioRxiv late Monday ahead of peer review, suggested the B.1.617.1 variant dealt an approximate seven-fold reduction in protection from prior infection and vaccination. However, the majority of blood samples from prior infection and all samples from vaccinated individuals appeared to remain effective at blocking the variant. (Rivas, 5/11)

A potentially worrisome variant of the coronavirus detected in India may spread more easily. But the country is behind in doing the kind of testing needed to track it and understand it better. On Monday, the World Health Organization designated the new version of the virus a “variant of concern” based on preliminary research, alongside those that were first detected in Britain, South Africa and Brazil but have spread to other countries. (Ghosal and Pathi, 5/12)

India’s coronavirus deaths crossed a quarter million on Wednesday in the deadliest 24 hours since the pandemic began, as the disease rampaged through the countryside, overloading a fragile rural healthcare system. Boosted by highly infectious variants, the second wave erupted in February to inundate hospitals and medical staff, as well as crematoriums and mortuaries. Experts are still unable to say with certainty when the figures will peak. (Siddiqui and Miglani, 5/12)

Dozens of bodies washed up on the banks of the Ganges this week, most likely the remains of people who perished from Covid-19. States in southern India have threatened to stop sharing medical oxygen with each other, fiercely protective about holding on to whatever they have as their hospitals swell with the sick and infections skyrocket. (Gettleman and Raj, 5/11)

The head of the main Indian health agency responding to the coronavirus has said districts reporting a high number of infections should remain locked down for another six to eight weeks to control the spread of the rampaging disease. Dr. Balram Bhargava, head of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said in an interview that lockdown restrictions should remain in place in all districts where the rate of infection is above 10% of those tested. (Das, Ghoshal and Kalra, 5/12)

Volunteer Ashish Kashyap carefully shovels the ashes of India's unclaimed COVID-19 dead from a large pile into sacks at Nigambodh ghat crematorium in Delhi, where the pyres have been burning round-the-clock because of a surge of deaths. Kashyap will then take the ashes to be immersed in the Ganges river. Families of the victims are often too afraid to come and collect the ashes after cremation because they fear contracting the virus in crowded sites. (Abidi, 5/11)