The B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus was first detected in India last year and has been blamed for much of a devastating Covid-19 wave that has battered South Asian nations in recent weeks.
The meteoric rise of Covid-19 cases during the second wave that overwhelmed the health infrastructure in India is now being matched by an equally steep decline in infections. In just three weeks, the seven-day average of daily cases has fallen to half the number recorded at the peak of infection on May 8. India yesterday reported its lowest daily rise in new infections in 46
Italy extended Sunday an entry ban for people coming from India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, as a continued precaution against the more transmissible Covid-19 variant first detected in India. The ban, which does not apply to Italian citizens, was introduced in late April and was due to expire on Sunday. It was prolonged until June 21, a spokesman for Italian Health Minister