Delta Plus variant reduces antibodies: Maha Health Min says zero deaths & kids uninfected

On Wednesday, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope informed that a total of 21 cases of Delta plus variant have been detected from the 7 districts of the state. He stated that the government will be sending the samples for the Genomic sequence study as the variant reduces the antibodies in the body. He added that the department has isolated such cases and is trying to look into the patient's vaccination status & travel history. This comes after the Maharashtra Health Department warned that the Delta plus variant could trigger the third wave in the state.

21 cases of Delta Plus variant in Maha: Rajesh Tope

"21 cases of Delta Plus variant have been found in 7 districts of the state. This variant reduces antibodies in the body. We are isolating such cases and taking all details like travel history, contact tracing & if they have been vaccinated," said Rajesh Tope.

'No children infected': Rajesh Tope

Maharashtra Health Minister further said that till now there have been no deaths reported due to this variant and infected people have recovered. As Delta plus variant was considered to bring the third wave Tope also added that none of the children have been infected as of now.

"We've decided to send the samples for the Genomic sequence study. No deaths caused due to the Delta Plus variant & some have recovered from this variant. Symptoms & treatment are the same for this variant. No children infected with this variant," said Rajesh Tope.

On Monday, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said that out of the 21 cases of Delta plus variant detected in Maharashtra, 9 are from Ratnagiri, 7 from Jalgaon, 2 from Mumbai, and one each from Palghar, Thane & Sindhudurg. He added, ''As per the study available with us till now, we are also tracking and tracing their high-risk and low-risk contacts of the variant. We are aware that the Delta plus variant doesn't spread as fast as the Delta Variant but the mortality of Delta plus is higher than the Delta variant. We are also trying to gather more information on Delta plus variant if it escapes vaccination or not.''

'Delta plus' variant

As per scientific researches, the Delta plus variant is a mutation of the Delta or B.1.617.2 variant, which was first discovered in India and has been one of the variants behind the deadly second wave. WHO officials had earlier cautioned that variant B.1.617.2 is likely to cause more severe symptoms, although more research is needed in that area. Meanwhile, the global health agency is also actively tracking the recently emerged “delta plus” variant. The current variant of interest, Delta Plus is a highly virulent mutation of the Delta virus that has been detected in India. The strain has been circulating in Europe since March. 

(Image Credits: @RAJESHTOPE11/TWITTER/UNSPLASH /PTI)