WHO classifies B.1.1.617 variant as a 'variant of global concern'

The World Health Organization said on Monday that the B.1.617 variant first identified in India was being classified as a variant of global concern.

"We classify it as a variant of concern at a global level," Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO technical lead on COVID-19, told a briefing. "There is some available information to suggest increased transmissibility."

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