Delta plus, the mutation of the most contagious variant that threatens India

India, where the murderer variant of coronavirus B.1.617.2.1 named Delta Plus, which is already wreaking havoc in several countries, must take action to contain its spread, the health ministry said on Tuesday.

The ministry said it had communicated to the states of Maharashtra, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh that “response measures in the public health sector must be increasingly effective” and recommended to the leaders of these regions “to take immediate containment measures ”to prevent the spread of the new strain, the deadliest of all known.

The ministry proposed in a statement to prevent mass concentrations, conduct extensive testing, operational monitoring and increase the scale of vaccination, Sputnik news agency reported.

The mentioned states, where 22 cases have been detected so far, have also been asked to send samples from infected people to the SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium laboratory so that doctors can follow the progress of the virus and leave. of these data, gradually modifying their recommendations.

Authorities have warned that Delta plus – a mutation of the delta B.1.617.2 variant – may be more contagious than the original, may cause more serious illness, or escape the action of vaccines and antibodies.

India remains the second country with the most reported coronavirus cases after the United States.

According to the latest official report, the total number of people infected since the start of the pandemic has exceeded 29.8 million and more than 386,000 people have died from the disease.

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The delta variant of the coronavirus originally identified in India, and which according to the World Health Organization (WHO) is already circulating in 92 countries, is considered to be one of the factors contributing to the dramatic increase in cases in India, due to its high transmissibility.

The new Delta variant of the coronavirus causes different symptoms than previous versions of the virus, said Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London. In that sense, the Delta version causes more mucus and a sore throat, but less coughing and loss of smell, according to the expert.