WHO: Indian variant in 49 countries, territories -NHK WORLD -JAPAN -15 hours ago
The World Health Organization says the coronavirus variant first identified in India has been detected in 49 countries and territories, as of Tuesday.
The list includes the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Japan.
The WHO announced on Monday that it had designated the India variant as a variant of global concern, following those first identified in Britain, South Africa and Brazil.
The WHO noted that the India variant appears to be highly transmissible, as several countries have reported rapid surges in infections.
It also cited preliminary research suggesting that the variant could compromise the effects of medications and neutralizing antibodies.
The WHO says the UK variant has been found in 149 countries and territories, the South African variant in 102 and the Brazilian variant in 60.
