A total of 45 cases of the Delta plus variant of coronavirus have been reported in Maharashtra during genome sequencing, the state health department said, adding one patient had died. At 13, the maximum number of these patients hailed from Jalgaon in north Maharashtra followed by Ratnagiri (11) in the coastal Konkan region. "80 per cent of the samples sent for genome sequencing had tested positive for the Delta Plus variant (of coronavirus). The 45 patients are from Jalgaon (13), Ratnagiri (11), Mumbai (6), Thane (5), Pune (3), and one each from Palghar, Sindhudurg, Sangli. Nandurbar, Aurangabad, Kolhapur, and Beed," the department said in a statement.
What is the delta plus variant?
The 'Delta' or the B.1.617 variant has three new spike protein mutations. E484Q and L452R, in the crucial spike protein part of the pathogen, increases its transmissibility. The third mutation—P681R—allows the virus to enter cells more efficiently. It is not believed to feature the E.484K mutation found in the South African variant of the virus, which could help the virus dodge a person's immune system.
The Delta plus variant was formed due to a mutation in the Delta variant. Though there is no indication yet of the severity of the disease due to the new variant, Delta plus is resistant to the monoclonal antibody cocktail treatment for COVID-19 recently authorised in India. One of the emerging variants is B.1.617.2.1 also known as AY.1 characterized by the acquisition of K417N mutation, Vinod Scaria, clinician and scientist at Delhi's CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), tweeted on Sunday. The mutation, he said, is in the spike protein of SARS-COV-2, which helps the virus enter and infect the human cells. According to Public Health England, 63 genomes of Delta (B.1.617.2) with the new K417N mutation have been identified so far on the global science initiative GISAID.
How much Delta Plus is there in India?
A total of 83 cases of Delta plus variant of COVID-19 have been reported in India till August 4 with Maharashtra registering 33 of these cases followed by Madhya Pradesh with 11 and Tamil Nadu 10, the Lok Sabha was informed on Friday.
Responding to a question on whether private laboratories are permitted to do genome sequencing of coronavirus, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar in a written reply said inclusion of private labs in Indian INSACOG (SARS-CoV-2 Genomic Consortium) is under consideration.
States are regularly advised to send samples for genome sequencing and provide clinical data of positive persons to enable greater epidemiological insights to identify link between surge in cases at various places to the variants, the minister stated.
Elaborating on the steps being taken to check the spread of the Delta variant, Pawar said to monitor the variants of SARS-CoV-2 virus, initially genomic sequencing was conducted through National Institute of Virology, Pune.