First case of Delta Plus variant found in Himachal Pradesh

Shimla, Jul 1 (PTI) The first case of the Delta Plus variant of COVID-19 has been found in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra district, officials said on Thursday.

A 19-year-old woman from Gopalpur in Palampur sub-division of Kangra had tested positive for COVID-19 on May 25. Her sample has come back positive for the Delta Plus variant of COVID-19, they said.

However, the officials said, her sample that was sent for genome sequencing was collected on May 26, when the state was under a lockdown.

The woman's aunt had also tested positive for COVID-19 on May 17. Now, her sample is also being sent for genome sequencing, Kangra Deputy Commissioner Nipun Jindal told PTI. Till Monday, according to reports of 1,113 samples received from the National Centre for Disease Control in Delhi, no case of Delta Plus variant had been detected in Himachal Pradesh, the officials said.

Of the 1,113 samples, 109 had tested positive for the variant prevalent in the UK, eight for the Kappa strain and 76 for the Delta strain, they said. PTI DJI DIV DIV