GENEVA: The WHO said Tuesday that one strain of a Covid-19 variant first detected in India was now considered "of concern" and had been dubbed "Delta," while two other strains had been downgraded. The B.1.617 variant of the virus, which has in part been blamed for India's explosive outbreak, has been called a triple mutant variant since it is split into three lineages. In fact, a new variant announced by Vietnam's health authorities on Saturday appears to be a variation of Delta. "We know that the B.1.617.2, the Delta variant, does have increased transmissibility, which means it can spread easier between people," she added. And the B.1.617.3 is now not even considered a variant of interest, WHO said, since "relatively few reports of this variant have been submitted to date."

Source: Manila Times June 02, 2021 09:56 UTC