Kathmandu: A few hours after a United Kingdom-based tabloid published news about ‘Nepal variant’ of coronavirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that it is not aware of a new variant other than those confirmed by the Ministry of Health and Population.
In a news report, the UK-based Daily Mail claimed that scientists have alerted ministers [in the UK] to the mutant strain – thought to have originated in Nepal – which has apparently spread to Europe. They fear the strain is resistant to vaccines.
After the news report was published, the WHO Nepal said that the predominant variant currently in circulation in Nepal is Delta (B.1.617.2), and it is unaware of the new variant.
“WHO is not aware of any new variant of SARS-CoV-2 being detected in Nepal. The three confirmed variants in circulation are Alpha (B.1.1.7), Delta (B.1.617.2), and Kappa (B.1.617.1). The predominant variant currently in circulation in Nepal is Delta (B.1.617.2),” WHO Nepal said in a tweet.
Earlier, in a genome sequencing conducted in India, three variants of coronavirus — Alpha (B.1.1.7), Delta (B.1.617.2), and Kappa (B.1.617.1) — were detected.
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