International row created, Delhi ministers still insist Singapore Covid variant is real

Amidst the diplomatic storm that has ensued following Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s claims of “Singapore variant” of Covid-19, Delhi ministers insist that there is a different strain of coronavirus in Singapore.

As Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s claims of “Singapore variant” of Covid-19 kicked up an international row, Delhi’s health minister Satyendar Jain on Wednesday claimed that there was a different strain of coronavirus spreading in Singapore. Satyendra Jain’s comment came after the Singapore government issued a statement, objecting to Delhi CM’s comment about the “Singapore variant” of Covid-19, labelling it “unfounded assertions”. Satyendra Jain, however, continued to defend Kejriwal's remark and said that the Covid variant found in Singapore is different. "There are many strains of coronavirus in India at present... Their presence is ascertained through genome sequencing. It is a different strain (in Singapore) indeed. Whether it is from Singapore, Delhi, America or London, what's important is that the strains are different," Satyendra Jain told reporters on Wednesday.