Explainer: What we know about the variant in India as coronavirus sweeps South Asia

11 May 2021, 10:05 AM | Reuters | @SABCNews Image:Pixabay Laboratory-based studies of limited sample size suggest potential increased transmissibility, according to the WHO. India has recorded the world's sharpest spike in coronavirus infections this month , with political and financial capitals New Delhi and Mumbai running out of hospital beds, oxygen and medicines . Scientists are studying what led to the unexpected surge, and particularly whether a variant of the novel coronavirus first detected in India is to blame. The variant, named B.1.617, has been reported in 17 countries, raising global concern . Here are the basics. What is…