Two highly mutated new Covid strains found in 3 Indian states
IANS/New Delhi
Photo: Reuters
The government is constantly monitoring the behaviour of the mutations in the country and all over the world.
The Union Health Ministry on Tuesday confirmed detection of two new variants of novel coronavirus, other than the Brazilian, UK and South African, in at least three Indian states.
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The variants, AN440K and E484Q have been found circulating in a few districts of Maharashtra, Kerala and Telangana, it said. The ministry s confirmation comes against the backdrop of Maharashtra and Kerala reporting an upsurge in Covid-19 cases, and both states accounting for more than 75 per cent of overall active caseload of the country, as of Tuesday.
The second phase of the coronavirus vaccination drive will begin March 1, with priority given to people over 60 and those over 45 but with co-morbidities, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said Wednesday afternoon
Meanwhile, the ministry did not specify the states that reported cases with these foreign variants. While the UK variant is known to spread faster, the South African one is associated with a high severity of disease.
Covid vaccines would be given people over 60 and those over 45 with co-morbidities on March 1, says Centre dgtl anandabazar.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from anandabazar.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.