India Confirms First Variants from South Africa and Brazil

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Variant strains of COVID-19 originating from South Africa and Brazil have been detected in India.

Concerns are growing as India, which has the second highest cumulative number of confirmed cases worldwide, reports variant viruses with higher transmissibility than the original virus one after another.

According to the Associated Press and The Times of India on the 17th (local time), Indian health authorities stated, "Four cases of the South African variant and one case of the Brazilian variant were confirmed last month and in the first week of this month, respectively."

Among the four South African variant cases, two had visited South Africa, one Angola, and one Tanzania. All of them entered the country last month and are currently in quarantine, The Times of India reported.

Meanwhile, as of this date, there are 187 confirmed cases of the UK variant. India has currently mandated testing for travelers arriving from the UK. An Indian official said, "We are also considering conducting COVID-19 tests for travelers arriving from South Africa and Brazil."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.