Days after a British media outlet reported the emergence of a new Nepali mutant, the World Health Organization (WHO) rejected the presence of any such variant in the country. The country’s health ministry also refuted the claim. 

"WHO is not aware of any new variant of SARS-CoV-2 being detected in Nepal. The three confirmed variants in circulation: Alpha (B.1.1.7), Delta (B.1.617.2), and Kappa (B.1.617.1). The predominant variant currently in circulation in Nepal is Delta (B.1.617.2),” the WHO’s country office in Nepal said in a tweet.

Referring to the claim made by Daily Mail, the British tabloid that thrives on sensationalism, Dr. Runa Jha, the director of Nepal’s National Public Health Laboratory, said, “We are also surprised at some British newspapers’ reports suggesting the Nepal variant,” adding they should clarify which variant they were talking about.

Krishna Prasad Paudel, the spokesperson of the country’s health ministry, said, “We don’t know what ‘Nepal variant’ is, as we have not detected any such so-called Nepal variant of the coronavirus.” He further informed that they had already written to the British health authority regarding the misleading media reports. 

(SAM)