UPDATED: May 12, 2021 15:23 IST
Using term Indian Variant for B.1.617 strain has no basis, WHO has not done so, says health ministry | PTI image
The Indian government on Wednesday slammed the use of the term Indian variant for the B.1.617 variant of coronavirus in media reports. The government clarified that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has never used the word Indian for the variant. Several media reports have covered the news of World Health Organisation (WHO) classifying B.1.617 as a variant of global concern. Some of these reports have termed the B.1.617 variant of coronavirus as an “Indian Variant”. These media reports are without any basis, and unfounded, the statement issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said.