COVID-19: In a first, Assam doctor infected with both Alpha, Delta variants simultaneously

In a first in India, a female doctor from Assam has been found to be infected with two variants of COVID-19- Alpha and Delta. The doctor was infected with both the variants simultaneously, informed Dr. BJ Borkakoti, Senior Scientist, Regional Medical Research Centre, Dibrugarh. On a positive note, the official also added that there is 'nothing to worry' as the woman is 'quite all right'. 

The woman was fully vaccinated as per the doctor and she will receive treatment 'similar to any other mono-infection of the virus'. 

Earlier this month, a 90-year-old Belgian woman had contracted both the alpha variant, which first surfaced in the UK and the beta strain, first found in South Africa. According to a report published in the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, the elderly woman who hadn’t been vaccinated possessed both the virus probably from separate people. The woman died five days after her conditions worsened following a collapse of her respiratory organs after being infected with both the COVID-19 variants.

Effectiveness of India's COVID-19 vaccines against different variants

Recently, the top medical research agency of the US had stated that India's first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin effectively neutralizes both the Alpha (B.1.1.7) and Delta (B.1.617) variants. This assumes significance at a juncture when it is yet to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and the WHO. A component of the US Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has revealed that an adjuvant developed with its funding has contributed to the "success" of Covaxin.

Moreover, recent studies have proved that Covishield and Covaxin are effective in preventing disease severity and mortality against the Delta variant in fully vaccinated hospitalised patients, according to a joint study undertaken by scientists of CSIR-Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB) and doctors at AIG Hospital. Earlier, in June Government had added that both the COVID-19 vaccines work against SARS-CoV-2 variants Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) in May had declared variants identified in India as Delta and Kappa, while B.1.1.7 strain identified first in the United Kingdom was labelled as Alpha. The B.1.351 strain - first identified in South Africa - as Beta. The P.1 strain said to have originated in Brazil back in November 2020 was named Gamma and strains identified in the USA was termed as Epsilon and Iota. 

(Inputs from ANI)