United Nations/Geneva, May 27

The B.1.617 Covid-19 variant, first detected in India, has now been found in 53 countries, according to the WHO, which noted that India recorded a 23 per cent decrease in the number of new cases in the last seven days but they were still the highest in the world.

The WHO Covid-19 Weekly Epidemiological Update, published on May 25, said over the past week, the number of new cases and deaths continued to decrease globally, with over 4.1 million new cases and 84,000 new deaths reported, a 14 per cent and 2 per cent decrease, respectively, compared to the previous week.

The WHO has declared B.1.617 as a “variant of concern”. “Despite a declining global trend over the past four weeks, the incidence of Covid-19 cases and deaths remain high, and substantial increases have been observed in many countries throughout the world,” it said.

The update further said the South-East Asia region reported two million new cases and over 32,000 new deaths, a 21 per cent decrease and a 4 per cent increase compared to the previous week. “While the overall incidence of cases continues to decrease, death incidence continued to increase for a 10 consecutive week, and a sizable increase has been observed in other countries,” it said. — PTI

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London Corporation donates £25,000 to india