Remove ‘Indian variant’ from social media: Govt

The Union ministry of electronics and information technology has written to all social media platforms to remove content that “names, refers to, or implies that there is an ‘Indian variant’ of Covid-19,” HT has learnt.

“It has come to our knowledge that a false statement is being circulated online which implies that an ‘Indian variant’ of coronavirus is spreading across the countries. This is completely FALSE. There is no such variant of Covid-19 scientifically cited as such by the World Health Organisation (WHO). WHO has not associated the term “Indian Variant” with the B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus in any of its reports,” the IT ministry wrote in the letter.

According to the communication sent by the ministry, the Union ministry of health, on May 12, clarified that there is no Indian variant of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) as the World Health Organization does not name any variant after the country where it has been first reported from.

A senior Indian government source told Reuters the notice was issued to send a message “loud and clear” that such mentions of “Indian variant” spread miscommunication and hurt the country’s image.

Several countries have banned or put severe restrictions on passengers from India since the variant emerged during the second wave.

The central government last month ordered Twitter and Facebook to remove dozens of posts critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s handling of the crisis.

This comes as India, on Friday,

continued to report a dip in its confirmed coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases while associated fatalities remained below record levels in the last 24 hours.

As per the health bulletin released by the Union ministry of health and family welfare, 257,299 tested positive for Covid-19 in the past 24 hours across the country while 4,194 patients succumbed to the deadly virus.

While the country’s cumulative Covid-19 death toll stands at 2,95,525, the total number of cases is at a whopping 26,289,290 till date.

The national capital, New Delhi, meanwhile stopped vaccine shots for people aged under 45 because it has run out of jabs.

WHO has not associated the term “Indian Variant” with the B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus in any of its reports

NEW DELHI:

IT MINISTRY, In a letter