COVID-19 variant first detected in India officially found in at least 53 territories: WHO
According to an AFP report, the WHO has received information from unofficial sources that the B.1.617 variant has been found in 7 other territories.
A World Health Organization (WHO) report showed that the coronavirus variant first detected in India has now been officially recorded in 53 territories. The report said B.1.617 had shown increased transmissibility, while disease severity and risk of infection were under investigation.
According to an AFP report, the WHO has received information from unofficial sources that the B.1.617 variant has been found in seven other territories, figures in the UN health agency's weekly epidemiological update showed, taking the total to 60.
Notably, the number of new cases and deaths continued to decrease, with around 4.1 million new cases and 84,000 new deaths reported.
The numbers of cases reported by the Americas, Eastern Mediterranean, Africa, and the Western Pacific region were similar to those reported in the previous week.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) has issued a letter on May 21 to all social media companies asking them to take down any content that refers to an 'Indian variant' of the COVID-19.
The World Health Organisation said on May 11 that the COVID-19 variant B.1.617, first identified in India last year, was being classified as a variant of global concern.
The government a day later issued a statement saying media reports using the term 'Indian Variant' were without any basis, saying the World Health Organisation had classified it as just B.1.617.