There is a steady decline in the number of new cases of coronavirus across the country as the 'Delta Plus' variant is raising new concerns. Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan informed that so far 22 cases of the 'Delta Plus' variant of coronavirus have been detected in India.
Of these, 16 cases are from Ratnagiri and Jalgaon in Maharashtra. The remaining six cases have come from Kerala and Madhya Pradesh. He said: "Presently, there are very few cases but, we do not want the numbers to increase."
EXPLAINED | What Is Delta Plus Variant Of Covid-19? Why Experts Worry It Could Trigger Third Wave
INSACOG's 28 labs have done genome sequencing of 45 thousand samples. The Delta Plus variant has been detected in 22 out of the 45 thousand samples. Genome sequencing is then matched with the clinical data. INSACOG gives information to the Ministry of Health, which issues guidelines to the states.
Rajesh Bhushan said "no variant can affect you if you wear a face mask" and urged the people to wear a face mask while running errands. He said that the Delta Plus variant is detected in 9 countries (US, UK, Switzerland, Poland, Japan, Portugal, Russia, China, Nepal, and India).
How Effective Is Vaccine?
Rajesh Bhushan said that both the Indian vaccines are effective against the delta variant. Information on how many antibodies are being made will be released soon.
The new variant 'Delta Plus' is a mutation of 'B.1.617.2' which was previously detected in India. The 'Delta' variant caused the second wave of infection in India.
The Health Department of Maharashtra gave a presentation last week in which it said that the new form of the variant 'Delta Plus' could cause the third wave of Covid-19 in the state.