India's Covid cases above 24 million as mutant variant spreads across globe

Bodies of suspected Covid-19 coronavirus victims are seen partially buried in the sand near a cremation ground on the banks of Ganges River in Rautapur Ganga Ghat, in Unnao

The number of recorded Covid-19 infections in India climbed above 24 million on Friday amid reports that the highly transmissible coronavirus mutant first detected in the country was spreading across the globe. The Indian B.1.617 variant of the virus has been found in cases in eight countries of the Americas, including Canada and the United States, said Jairo Mendez, a WHO infectious diseases expert. People infected by the variant included travellers in Panama and Argentina who had arrived from India or Europe. In the Caribbean, cases of the Indian variant have been detected in Aruba, Dutch St Maarten and the French department of Guadeloupe. The mutant strain has also been detected in Britain, as well as in Singapore.