Lucknow: Amid rising concerns of the new Delta Plus variant of COVID-19 spreading to more states, Uttar Pradesh has confirmed its first two COVID cases due to the strain, out of which one patient succumbed to the infection. The genome sequencing of COVID-19 positive samples from Uttar Pradesh has revealed two cases with the Delta Plus strain.
Additional chief secretary (ACS), health and family welfare, Amit Mohan Prasad confirmed the reports saying, “The cases were identified during genome sequencing of samples in the state. Surfacing of Delta Plus virus makes Covid-19 appropriate behaviour very essential.”
The two cases of the Delta Plus variant, labelled variant of concern, were found in Gorakhpur and Deoria districts of eastern UP, reported IANS citing sources. Of the two cases, the 66-year-old patient from Deoria died during treatment. The other person infected works as a 23-year-old resident doctor at the Baba Raghav Das Medical College, Gorakhpur.
“The elderly patient contracted infection on May 7 and was treated at home till his health deteriorated and he was shifted to the BRD Medical College, Gorakhpur. He died during the course of treatment on May 29. He had no travel history and all 27 contacts tested negative to Covid-19,” health department officials said.
In May this year, 100 samples were routinely sent to the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, Delhi, and the reports were received earlier this week.
Till date, more than 1,000 samples have been sent for genome sequencing from the state to various labs.
Of these, over 80 per cent tested positive to Delta variant, while about 6 per cent tested positive for the alpha strain.
The Delta plus strain is more transmissible and evades the body’s immunity.
(With inputs from IANS)