Around 20 people in France detected with Indian COVID-19 variant: Health minister

Around 20 people in France have been currently detected with the variant of COVID-19 first found in India, French Health Minister Olivier Veran told LCI TV on Monday.

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The World Health Organisation has described the Indian COVID variant as a “variant of interest,” suggesting it may have mutations that would make the virus more transmissible, cause more severe disease or evade vaccine immunity.

France ordered a mandatory 10-day quarantine for arrivals from seven additional countries in a bid to control the spread of Covid-19, a government source told AFP on Friday.

India, which has seen an alarming surge in Covid infection rates and deaths, was put on the list last month, only days after France also announced a ban on all flights from Brazil to stave off the P1 coronavirus variant.

India’s daily rise in coronavirus cases retreated from the 400,000 mark on Monday, while its daily rise in deaths also fell after two straight days of more than 4,000 fatalities.

The health ministry reported 366,161 new COVID-19 infections and 3,754 more deaths. India’s total caseload now stands at 22.66 million, with 246,116 deaths.

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