Covid: The Indian variant explained in Urdu

Cases of the Indian variant of coronavirus have been rising in the UK. The B.1.617.2 variant of the virus, which was first found in India last year, is thought to spread more quickly than other variants.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he has "increasing confidence" that the vaccines will work against all new variants, as studies conducted by Public Health England suggest both the Pfizer and AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccines are highly effective against the variant.

Areas in the UK where the Indian variant is detected have increased surge testing and accelerated vaccinations.

BBC Asian Network is helping the South Asian community to understand the emergence of this new variant in five languages: Gujarati, Punjabi, Sylheti, Tamil and Urdu.

Is the variant more dangerous? How did it emerge? Are Asians more at risk of catching it? Dr Anita Raja answers questions about the Indian variant in Urdu.