A new strain of the coronavirus has been found in the UK after being detected in three states in India, and has been labelled a variant of concern in India.
Public Health England says there have been 169 cases of Delta Plus in England since it was first detected here on May 21.
In this country it has been labelled a variant under investigation.
Dubbed Delta Plus the mutated strain has been found in 16 people in Maharashtra with more cases in Kerala and Madhya Pradesh.
It has been detected 169 times in the UK up to June 18 - with 16 new cases detected in the last week.
According to the BBC there are also cases in the USA, Portugal, Switzerland, Japan, Poland, Nepal, Russia and China.
India's Union Health Ministry said Delta Plus shows increased transmissibility - meaning it spreads even more easily than other strains.
It also appears to attack lung cells more easily and could be resistant to a form of antibody therapy,
The Economic Times says the mutation of the Delta variant (B.1.617.2) is officially named AY.1.
It carries the K417N, seen in the Beta variant, which is believed to affect vaccine efficacy.
Another new variant under investigation has also been detected in the UK - from Thailand and Egypt.
It is C.36.3 and there have been more than 130 cases since it was found on May 21.
