Coronavirus live news: India variant ‘of concern’ globally, says WHO; Pfizer vaccine approved for US 12-15-year-olds

India variant could be more transmissible, says WHO Covid chief; Pfizer vaccine approved in US for 12-year-olds in an emergency; Everest climbers urged to bring back oxygen cylinders for Nepal Covid patients

Singapore’s prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, has condemned an alleged racist attack on a local woman of Indian descent after she was reportedly kicked and abused for not wearing a mask, in a case that is being investigated by police, Reuters has reported.

In a Facebook post on Monday night, Lee said anxiety and stress caused by the pandemic “does not justify racist attitudes and actions, much less physically abusing and assaulting someone because she belongs to a particular race, in this case Indian.”

The World Health Organization has said the B.1.617 variant spreading in India shows signs of being more transmissible, and is now being treated as a variant of concern globally.

The WHO’s Covid-19 chief, Maria Van Kerkhove, said they were studying the data out of India “very, very carefully” and would provide more details in the weekly epidemiological update on Tuesday.

The #SARSCoV2 virus variant B.1.617 is currently listed as a variant of interest but is being evaluated as a potential variant of concern by @WHO & our evolution working group

We are grateful for the ongoing work around to monitor & study VOI/VOC#COVID19 @WHO @DrTedros pic.twitter.com/CUDd4ue1ZW

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source https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2021/may/11/coronavirus-live-news-india-variant-of-concern-globally-says-who-pfizer-vaccine-approved-for-us-12-15-year-olds

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