While India is battling the second wave of the coronavirus disease pandemic (Covid-19), it is also battling the spread of the Delta variant, which has since mutated into Delta plus. Delta plus, also known as AY.1 variant or B.1.617.2.1, is the most dangerous variant of Covid-19.
In India, cases of the delta plus variant have been reported in three states: Maharashtra, Kerala, and Madhya Pradesh.
Maharashtra:
On Monday, state health minister Rajesh Tope announced that 21 cases of the Delta plus variant had been reported in the state. Nine were from Jalgaon, seven from Mumbai, and one from each of the districts of Sindhudurg, Thane, and Palgarh.
Tope said the Maharashtra government has made a decision on genome sequencing and has begun the process of collecting 100 samples from each district, with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research’s (CSIR) Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) playing a role. “Since May 15, 7,500 samples have been collected, with approximately 21 cases of delta plus discovered,” he said.
The vaccination status and travel history of the patients are also being determined, according to Tope.
Kerala:
On Monday, Kerala government officials told PTI that the Delta plus variant was found in samples collected from the Palakkad and Pathanamth districts. The officials went on to say that the authorities have taken strict measures in these areas to prevent the disease from spreading further.
Two people have been infected with the variant in Palakkad, with one case reported in Pathanamthitta.
The patient is a four-year-old boy from Kadapra panchayat, according to Pathanamthitta district collector Dr Narasimhugari T L Reddy. The variant was discovered during a genetic analysis of the boy’s samples at CSIR-IGIB.
Madhya Pradesh:
The first case of Delta plus variant in India was reported in a 65-year-old woman from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh’s capital, who recovered from Covid-19 after being placed in home isolation and receiving two doses of the vaccine. Her samples were taken on May 23, and she tested positive for the variant, according to reports from the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) on June 16.
On June 17, state medical education minister Vishwas Sarang told news agency PTI that a woman had tested positive for a “different variant,” but he refused to elaborate.
Four people were found infected with the Delta plus variant in the Shivpuri district, according to the Livehindustan report. The variant killed all four of them.
Meanwhile, the Union Ministry of Health has yet to classify the Delta plus variant as a “variant of concern.” Dr VK Paul of NITI Aayog said last week that the best way forward is to keep an eye out for the variant’s possible presence in the country and take appropriate public health measures.
