<p>India currently has 22 cases of the Delta Plus variant of the coronavirus, of which 16 are in Ratnagiri and Jalgaon districts of Maharashtra, health officials said on Tuesday, observing that an advisory has been sent to the states reporting such cases.</p>.<p>In addition, the “variant of concern” has been found in genome sequences sampled from Palakkad and Pathanamthitta districts of Kerala, and Bhopal and Shivpuri districts of Madhya Pradesh, the Union Health Ministry wrote in an advisory to the states.</p>.<p>The ministry has asked Maharashtra, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh to implement the public health measures in a more focussed and effective way in the districts reporting Delta Plus cases.</p>.<p><strong>Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/science-and-environment/vaccines-showing-reduced-efficacy-against-delta-variant-who-official-1000065.html" target="_blank">Vaccines showing reduced efficacy against Delta variant: WHO official</a></strong></p>.<p>The Chief Secretaries have been advised to take up immediate containment measures in the districts and clusters (as identified by the INSACOG or India’s Covid-19 genome sequencing consortium) including preventing crowds and intermingling of people, widespread testing, prompt tracing as well as vaccine coverage on a priority basis.</p>.<p>Indian scientists mapping the genomes of SARS-CoV-2 variants have informed the ministry that the Delta Plus variant has three characteristics – (1) increased transmissibility (2) stronger binding to the lung cells and (3) potential reduction in response to monoclonal antibody treatment.</p>.<p>But its prevalence is still low as out of 45,000 sequences of SARS-CoV-2 genomes, the Delta Plus strain has been found in 22 cases.</p>.<p><strong>DH Deciphers | </strong><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/dh-deciphers-could-delta-plus-variant-cause-another-covid-surge-999299.html" target="_blank"><strong>Could Delta Plus variant cause another Covid surge?</strong></a></p>.<p>The states have been advised to ensure that adequate samples of positive persons are promptly sent to the designated INSACOG laboratories so that clinical epidemiological correlations can be made for further guidance to be provided to States.</p>.<p>Nine other nations – the USA, the UK, Portugal, Switzerland, Japan, Poland, Nepal, China and Russia – have reported this strain, characterised by a new mutation known as K417N that may allow the pathogen to dodge a new class of Covid-19 medicines called monoclonal antibodies.</p>.<p>"For any new variant, the public health responses have been standardised. They are test-track-isolate-prevention of intermingling and vaccination,” Bhushan said, asserting that both Covishield and Covaxin were effective against Delta variants.</p>
<p>India currently has 22 cases of the Delta Plus variant of the coronavirus, of which 16 are in Ratnagiri and Jalgaon districts of Maharashtra, health officials said on Tuesday, observing that an advisory has been sent to the states reporting such cases.</p>.<p>In addition, the “variant of concern” has been found in genome sequences sampled from Palakkad and Pathanamthitta districts of Kerala, and Bhopal and Shivpuri districts of Madhya Pradesh, the Union Health Ministry wrote in an advisory to the states.</p>.<p>The ministry has asked Maharashtra, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh to implement the public health measures in a more focussed and effective way in the districts reporting Delta Plus cases.</p>.<p><strong>Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/science-and-environment/vaccines-showing-reduced-efficacy-against-delta-variant-who-official-1000065.html" target="_blank">Vaccines showing reduced efficacy against Delta variant: WHO official</a></strong></p>.<p>The Chief Secretaries have been advised to take up immediate containment measures in the districts and clusters (as identified by the INSACOG or India’s Covid-19 genome sequencing consortium) including preventing crowds and intermingling of people, widespread testing, prompt tracing as well as vaccine coverage on a priority basis.</p>.<p>Indian scientists mapping the genomes of SARS-CoV-2 variants have informed the ministry that the Delta Plus variant has three characteristics – (1) increased transmissibility (2) stronger binding to the lung cells and (3) potential reduction in response to monoclonal antibody treatment.</p>.<p>But its prevalence is still low as out of 45,000 sequences of SARS-CoV-2 genomes, the Delta Plus strain has been found in 22 cases.</p>.<p><strong>DH Deciphers | </strong><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/dh-deciphers-could-delta-plus-variant-cause-another-covid-surge-999299.html" target="_blank"><strong>Could Delta Plus variant cause another Covid surge?</strong></a></p>.<p>The states have been advised to ensure that adequate samples of positive persons are promptly sent to the designated INSACOG laboratories so that clinical epidemiological correlations can be made for further guidance to be provided to States.</p>.<p>Nine other nations – the USA, the UK, Portugal, Switzerland, Japan, Poland, Nepal, China and Russia – have reported this strain, characterised by a new mutation known as K417N that may allow the pathogen to dodge a new class of Covid-19 medicines called monoclonal antibodies.</p>.<p>"For any new variant, the public health responses have been standardised. They are test-track-isolate-prevention of intermingling and vaccination,” Bhushan said, asserting that both Covishield and Covaxin were effective against Delta variants.</p>
