Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Saturday said all five people who have succumbed to the Delta Plus variant in the State so far had comorbidities and were over 65 years old.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Tope said, “We cannot confidently say that these deaths were only due to the Delta Plus variant. All the deceased had a number of comorbidities and were over 65 years. I, however, appeal to all to be alert and continue following COVID-appropriate behaviour.”
The Minister said the Directorate of Medical Education and Research has been collecting 100 samples from every district to keep track of the spread of the variant.
As per available data, the districts with most cases of the variant are Ratnagiri (12) and Mumbai (11), followed by Thane (6), Pune (6), Palghar (3), Raigad (3), Nanded (2), and Gondia (2). The districts of Chandrapur, Akola, Sindhdurg, Sangli, Kolhapur, Nandurbar, Aurangabad, and Beed have recorded one case of Delta Plus each.
Mr. Tope said, “We are following the system of tracing and tracking. We are isolating high-risk and low-risk contacts, testing them, and if needed they are being treated.” The Minister said of these patients, 10 had taken both doses of the vaccine, while eight had taken only one dose. “Two have taken Covaxin, while the rest received Covishield,” he said.
New vaccination record
A record 9.36 lakh people were vaccinated against COVID-19 in Maharashtra till 7 p.m. on Saturday, said Additional Chief Secretary of State Health Department Dr. Pradeep Vyas.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Mr. Tope hailed the people behind the efforts that brought about this single-day vaccine administration high, which surpassed the State’s previous record of 8.11 lakh doses, which was set on July 3.
An official statement said that Maharashtra had the capacity to vaccinate 10 lakh people per day and the drive can be expedited provided doses are made available in adequate numbers.