India, Feb. 23 -- Uptick in cases in 5 states cannot be linked to these variants as of now, said NITI Aayog member VK Paul

Two new variants of the novel coronavirus - other than the Brazilian, United Kingdom and South African - have been confirmed in India, Union government officials said in a press meet February 23, 2021.

The variant N440K has been found in Maharashtra; E484K has been found in Kerala, Telangana and Maharashtra, according to VK Paul, member of health, Niti Aayog. The news has come in the backdrop of Maharashtra and Kerala reporting an upsurge in COVID-19 cases.

Paul, however, added that the uptick in cases could not be linked to these variants as of now , though he did not rule out such a possibility in future.

"This ...