Two suspected cases of AY.4.2 variant of the novel Coronavirus have been identified and the samples have been sent to a laboratory for the genome sequencing, Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar said on Tuesday. A government panel of experts is looking into AY.4.2, a sub-variant of Delta, which is said to be much more transmissible, Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Tuesday, according to a Reuters report. AY.4.2 was first detected in July, according to reports.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya speaks at a press conference in Delhi on Tuesday. Pics/PTI