Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) said that the Delta variant’s mutation of the COVID-19 has been detected in Nepal. According to MoHP, the mutated forms of the Delta variant were confirmed in nine samples while conducting gene sequencing in New Delhi, India.

Issuing a press statement, deputy spokesperson at the MoHP Dr. Samir Kumar Adhikari informed that among the 47 Delta variant confirmed during the gene sequencing, nine new K417 N mutation were detected which has been named AY.1 .

This new mutation has been detected in 10 countries including Nepal so far and is considered more infectious and fatal to the people of all age groups, according to the MoHP.

Earlier, Nepal had sent 48 swab samples to the WHO-identified Centre for Excellence in Genomics, The Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) in New Delhi, India, for testing.

Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) update on COVID vaccination, so far, 2,500,196 people have received the first dose of vaccine against COVID-19 across the country. Of them, 691,494 individuals have been inoculated with both the doses and are fully vaccinated.