Tirupati reports first case of Delta Plus Covid-19 variant in Andhra Pradesh

The first Delta Plus variant Covid-19 case of Andhra Pradesh was detected in Tirupati.

The patient, according to the state health minister Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas, was treated and has also recovered, without the infection transmitted to others.

“The person is safe now. The people of the surroundings and those who came in contact were tested but the strain was not traced in anyone else. There are no active cases of the Delta Plus variant in the state, as of now,” Alla said on Friday.

The minister however said that the state health machinery is alert about the threat posed by the emerging strain, which some experts believe could accelerate the emergence of the third wave in the country.

Also read: India has 48 cases of Delta Plus Covid-19 variant

“We are prepared for the third wave, though there is no such situation as of now,” the minister, who participated in a Covid-19 review meeting with CM Jaganmohan Reddy on Friday, said.

The Delta Plus is a variation of the Delta strain (B.1.167.2) of the SARS-CoV-2, the Covid-19 causing virus. Delta is stated as the variant largely responsible for the second wave cases in the country during April-May.

Now, as the second wave is apparently receding in the country, the emergence of the Delta Plus – B.1.617.2.1/(AY1) is posing a new challenge to the scientists, and governments. The strain, whose characteristics are yet to be properly understood, is classified as a “variant of concern.”

At-least 40 cases of Delta Plus have been identified in the country till now, and a few related deaths.