CORONAVIRUS CANADA
Toronto (Canada), May 21 (EFE) .- Canada extended until at least June 21 the ban on direct flights from India and Pakistan, which has been in force since April 22 of this year, to control the arrival in the country of new variants of the coronavirus.
Passengers from India and Pakistan can continue traveling to the North American country through other countries but they need a negative covid-19 test carried out at their last point of departure before they can board for Canada.
The ban only affects direct passenger flights. Cargo flights between the two countries can continue to operate normally.
One of the four covid-19 vaccines approved by Canada and used in the country, AstraZeneca’s, is produced in India by the Serum Institute, so the country needs to maintain supply to continue the vaccination campaign.
The B.1.617 variant of the Sars-CoV-2 virus, which causes covid-19, was discovered in several patients affected by the disease in Canada. Canadian health authorities fear that the number of cases of the variant will increase and there will be transmission in the community.
Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified the Indian variant as a “global concern.”
Variant B.1.617 is more infectious than other versions of the virus and is causing record numbers of cases in India, where it was first identified in late 2020.
India reported 4,529 deaths from the disease and 267,334 new infections on Thursday. Also on Thursday, Brazil, another of the countries most affected by the pandemic, confirmed the first cases of covid-19 with the Indian variant.
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