Word 'Indian' Not In WHO Report On Covid Variant: Government Fact-Checks

The B.1.617 strain is called a double mutant because of the presence of two changes in the virus's genome, called E484Q and L452R.

The government today objected to the labelling of the B.1.617 Covid variant as an "Indian variant", stressing that the word "Indian" was never used by the World Health Organisation (WHO). .@WHO has not associated the term #IndianVariant with B.1.617, now classified as Variant of ConcernDetails here: https://t.co/AOypVKTkfmpic.twitter.com/VDouJyVmrN "Several media reports have covered the news of WHO classifying B.1.617 as variant of global concern. Some of these reports have termed the B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus as an 'Indian Variant'. These media reports are without any basis, and unfounded," said an official statement. "This is to clarify that WHO has not associated the term 'Indian Variant' with the B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus in its 32-page document. In fact, the word "Indian" has not been used in its report on the matter," said the government's rejoinder. The B.1.617 variant of Covid, first found in India last October, has "increased transmissibility" or spreads more quickly, WHO said on Tuesday. It has been found in 40 countries, according to the organisation.