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 (March 24).
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.
Genome sequencing and analysis of samples from Maharashtra state found mutations in the virus that do not match previously cataloged "variants of concern" (VOC), the ministry said in a statement.
On Wednesday, India reported 47,262 new infections over the previous 24-hour period, the highest since early November, taking its overall tally to 11.7 million.
