Increase of 'Indian' Covid-19 variant a continuing cause for concern

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The Center for Disease Prevention and Control (SPKC) continues to monitor the situation with the spread of the worrying 'Indian' strain of Covid-19, and during the last week identified small clusters at two companies involving that variant, SPKC expert Jurijs Perevoščikovs told the Latvian cabinet Tuesday, reports LSM's Latvian language service.

Perevoščikovs  noted that last week saw a significant increase in detection of the Indian variant, also known as the 'Delta' variant, but that the strain currently remains fairly rare.

More than 90% of the sequenced samples during the last week were of the so-called 'Kent' or 'British' variant of Covid-19.

The epidemiologist also said that by Monday, June 14, 43 cases involving the Indian variant had been reported in one day - more than all previous cases combined.

According to Perevoščikovs, Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš (New Unity) expressed concern about what he had heard. 

The Indian government has expressed displeasure at the use of the term 'Indian variant', but it has become normal for various strains of Covid-19 to be named after the places in which they first appeared among non-specialists, with British, Brazilian and South African variants also being deemed "Variants of Concern" (VoCs) by the World Health Organization.

Variants of concern, June 2021
Variants of concern, June 2021

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