False: WHO has not termed B.1.617 as Indian variant, remove such reports says govt

New Delhi, May 22: There are media reports referring to the new strain of COVID-19 as an Indian variant. The government has said that this information is false.

In a release, the Union Government said that this is completely FALSE. There is no such variant of Covid-19 scientifically cited as such by the World Health Organisation (WHO). WHO has not associated the term "Indian Variant" with the B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus in any of its reports.

This has already been clarified by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on 12th May., 2021.

Therefore, you are requested to remove all the content that names, refers to, or implies 'Indian variant' of corona virus from your platform immediately.

In an earlier release, the government had said that several media reports have covered the news of World Health Organisation (WHO) classifying B.1.617 as variant of global concern. Some of these reports have termed the B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus as an "Indian Variant". These media reports are without any basis, and unfounded.

This is to clarify that WHO has not associated the term "Indian Variant" with the B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus in its 32 page document. In fact, the word "Indian" has not been used in its report on the matter.