The Delta variant was first detected in October 2020 in India. Experts find it to be primarily responsible for the second wave in the country.
First found in India, in October last year the Delta variant is believed to be behind the second wave in the country. It is said to account for over 80 percent of Covid-19 cases. Before entering the central and the eastern states, the variant was first spotted in Maharashtra and along the western states of the country, travelled northwards.
Today the north-eastern and southern parts of the country are showing a high Test Positivity Rate (TPR), even though in most parts of the country, the dip in cases is significant.
The Delta Plus variant – AY.1 and AY.2 – has so far been detected in 55-60 cases across 11 states, including Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Madhya Pradesh
According to Dr NK Arora, who is the chief of the Covid-19 working group of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI), this variant of the novel coronavirus is around 40-60 per cent more transmissible than the Alpha variant.
Explaining the reason behind the higher transmissibility of the Delta variant, Dr Arora said, “The Delta variant has mutations in its spike protein that helps it bind to the ACE2 receptors present on the surface of the cells more firmly, making it more transmissible and capable of evading the body’s immunity.”
However it is WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus who claims the spread of the Delta variant is due to a shortage of vaccines in developing countries .
ICMR says current vaccines effective against the Delta variant. The Delta Plus variant – AY.1 and AY.2 – has so far been detected in 55-60 cases across 11 states, including Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Madhya Pradesh.
The Delta variant (B.1.617.2) the dominant and most rapidly rising lineage globally is also the lineage for new cases across India, said INSACOG, a government panel on genome sequencing of coronavirus.