Highly infectious Indian variant coronavirus found in U.K

77 cases of the highly infectious B.1.617 variant of coronavirus were found in the U.K, Public Health England (PHE) on Saturday said. First found in India B.1.617 variant of coronavirus is considered as one of the highly infectious variants of coronavirus and includes a number of mutations.

B.1.617 variant is believed to be the cause that created the second wave of Covid-19 in India.

According to the report PHE has designated this virus a Variant Under Investigation (VUI).

“A new variant has been designated a Variant Under Investigation (VUI) by PHE. The variant, first detected in India, includes a number of mutations including E484Q, L452R, and P681R,” news agency PTI quoted the PHE weekly report.

“PHE has identified 77 cases of this variant in the UK and all appropriate public health interventions will be undertaken, including enhanced contact tracing. This variant has been designated VUI-21APR-01. PHE and international partners continue to monitor the situation closely,” it added.