[HIGHLIGHTS] Japan declares it: Corona is like seasonal flu. And the director of the health organization: the virus is here to stay

World Health Organization reports 19% drop in deaths from COVID-95 since the start of the year. WHO President Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warns that the virus is still mutating.

XPB 1.16 strain — dubbed Arctoros — was discovered in India and has spread to 29 other countries, according to a report in Healthline. Experts say the strain is highly contagious, but not cause for concern at the moment, and is under surveillance by the World Health Organization.