Agencies :
India has declared a new coronavirus variant to be of concern after nearly two dozen cases had been detected across the country so far. The variant AY.1, identified locally as Delta Plus and first identified in Europe, has been found in at least 22 cases across Maharashtra, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh states, India’s health ministry said on Tuesday.
The ministry said Delta Plus showed increased transmissibility and advised the three states to increase testing. “Based on the recent findings of INSACOG (Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomic Consortia), the health ministry has alerted and advised Maharashtra, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh regarding the Delta Plus variant of COVID-19 found in these states,” a ministry statement said.
INSACOG is a consortium of India’s premier medical and scientific bodies, including the Indian Council of Medical Research and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. The consortium is tasked with not just the whole genome sequencing of the virus, but also with giving timely inputs on appropriate public health response measures to be adopted by the states.
Reporting from capital New Delhi, Al Jazeera’s Elizabeth Puranam said Indian health officials have identified three characteristics of the Delta Plus variant. “The first is increased transmissibility, the second is that it binds more to the receptors of lung cells, and also there is a potential reduction in antibody response,” she said.
The Delta Plus variant has been formed due to a mutation of the Delta strain or B.1.617.2 variant, which was first found in India and believed to be the reason behind a vicious second wave of the virus in the country.
