40 Delta+ cases in India; 10 nations report variant

New Delhi, June 23

On a day when US President’s Chief Medical Adviser Anthony Fauci described Covid-19’s Delta mutant as the “greatest threat” to America’s attempt to eradicate the pandemic, Indian scientists too sounded an alarm back home as 40 cases of the Delta plus variant were reported today, up from 22 yesterday.

The cases were reported from Ratnagiri, Jalgaon (Maharashtra); Palakkad, Pathanamthitta (Kerala); Bhopal and Shivpuri (Madhya Pradesh). The Indian Sars-CoV-2 Genomic Consortia (INSACOG) has asked states to step up surveillance.

INSACOG said the WHO had earlier classified Delta and its sub-lineage variants as variants of concern. Called AY.1, the Delta plus variant’s role in immune escape, disease severity and increased transmissibility is being studied. Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said Covaxin and Covishield worked against Delta, but the extent of protection offered was under study. — TNS

Greatest threat: US

• Delta found in India, US, UK, Portugal, Switzerland, Poland, Japan, Nepal, China, Russia
• Is identified with increased transmissibility, stronger binding to receptors of lung cells
• Reduces monoclonal antibody response, posing challenge of escaping antibody response

Total cases cross 3 cr

50,848 fresh cases

TOTAL DEATHS 3,90,660

ACTIVE CASES 6,43,194

1,358 deaths in 24 hours