A woman reacts as she receives a dose of COVISHIELD coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine manufactured by Serum Institute of India, at an auditorium that has been converted into a temporary vaccination centre in Ahmedabad, India, March 24, 2021. REUTERS/Amit Dave

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India has detected a “double mutant variant” of the novel coronavirus in 206 samples in the worst-hit western state of Maharashtra, a senior government official said on Wednesday.

The new variant was also detected in nine samples in the capital New Delhi, the director of the National Centre for Disease Control, Sujeet Kumar Singh, told a news conference.