‘Goa’s second wave due to Delta variant’

Thirty three samples of 122 tested fortnightly for Covid-19 genome sequencing have shown that 26 of them were the Delta variant in Goa. The samples were taken when the second wave of the pandemic was at its peak in May, said state epidemiologist Dr Utkarsh Betodkar.

While reports for 89 samples are awaited from Pune, of the 33 received by the Goa government, six were the Kappa variant and one of Alpha.

While the new Delta plus variant, that has been found in Maharashtra has manifested in the border district of Sindhudurg, no case of the Delta plus variant has been found in Goa so far, Betodkar said.

The genome sequencing, Betodkar said, shows that the second wave was definitely due to the Delta variant.

“Seventy nine percent of the 33 samples we have received show that the Delta variant was responsible. Now, maximum population of Goa has immunity towards this particular strain. We have to continue with our genome sequencing and watch out for a new strain,” said Betodkar.