KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) has said that no new variant of coronavirus has been detected in the country so far.

According to the Spokesperson at the MoHP, Dr. Krishna Prasad Paudel, no new variant has been detected in the country as reported by British newspapers.

He said that the Ministry was not aware of any such variant called ‘Nepal variant’ as no such variant has been detected.

According to him, the Ministry has also written to the concerned health agency of the United Kingdom about the news reports.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) said it is not aware of any new variant of SARS-CoV-2 being detected in Nepal.

WHO statement comes after British tabloid Daily Mail reported a news story with the headline: “Nepal Variant Threat to Our Holidays”.

WHO said that no new variant, other than the previously confirmed ones, has been detected in Nepal.

“WHO is not aware of any new variant of SARS-CoV-2 being detected in Nepal. The three confirmed variants in circulation are 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 tweeted.

The newspaper said: “Scientists have alerted ministers to the mutant strain – thought to have originated in Nepal – which has apparently spread to Europe. They fear the strain is resistant to vaccines.”