Dear Express Explained reader, Many of you would have noticed a new surge in Covid-19 cases around you over the last few weeks. If the official numbers published by the government every day seem to be fewer than what you'd expect, it could be because many people are giving themselves rapid tests at home and not reporting positive outcomes, or perhaps not testing at all. Thankfully, in most cases, the illness is not severe, and very few people other than those with severe comorbidities are actually ending up in hospital. What are the variants of SARS-CoV-2 — rather, the sub-variants of Omicron — that are causing this current spike in infections? When and where did they emerge, and how afraid should you be? Do read Anonna Dutt's explainer. Give a read also to Anuradha Mascarenhas's unpacking of India's first mRNA Covid-19 vaccine that received clearance for "restricted emergency use" in adults this week. How does GEMCOVAC-19, manufactured by Gennova Biopharmaceuticals, work, and why is its development a major breakthrough for Indian conditions? The crisis in Maharashtra seems to be over for now (we did publish some important explainers on the various legal and constitutional aspects through the week), but the other ongoing — and deeply disturbing — story of the week, around the objectionable remarks on the Prophet, continues. Do read Nirupama Subramanian and Zeeshan Shaikh's profile of the Da'wat-e-Islami, the radical Sunni Muslim group to which Rajasthan Police have linked Ghouse Mohammad, the man who murdered tailor Kanhaiyalal Teli in Udaipur; and Apurva Vishwanath's fine summary of law and precedent on the clubbing of multiple cases in court, written after the Supreme Court's angry scolding of Nupur Sharma, the former BJP spokesperson whose "loose tongue" the Bench blamed for being "singlehandedly responsible for what is happening in the country". The war in Ukraine has now gone on for more than four months. The West's sanctions, among the harshest in history, were predicted to inflict unbearable pain on the government of President Vladimir Putin, and possibly lead to Russia's economic collapse and defeat in the war. But things haven't quite gone to script. Harish Damodaran explained why the sanctions have been less effective than the West expected, and what is likely to happen here onward. Stay safe and stay aware. Keep reading The Indian Express Explained. Some of our content is now behind a paywall, so if you haven't subscribed to The Indian Express yet, this may be the perfect time to do so. Click here to subscribe. Sincerely, Monojit (monojit.majumdar@expressindia.com) If you received this newsletter as a forward, you can subscribe to it here | Do read our Explained articles here | 
