Forget Delta, Covid Delta Plus variant now detected in India, should we need to worry?

As the Delta variant of Covid, which was first detected in India continues to wreak havoc in various parts of the world, a new variant of Covid now known as 'Delta Plus' is bothering medical experts. According to medical experts, the Delta Plus variant is a mutated form of the Delta variant, which is one of the primary drivers of the Covid second wave. 

Delta Plus variant: Should India need to worry? 

As the Delta Plus variant of Covid has been detected in India, medical experts believe that further genome sequencing should be carried out to know more about this variant of the pandemic. However, initial data suggests that the Delta plus variant shows signs of resistance against the monoclonal antibody cocktail treatment. 

It should be noted that the monoclonal antibody cocktail treatment against Covid was recently authorized by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO). 

According to the latest updates, the Maharashtra government has sent a number of samples from various districts for genome sequencing to determine whether any mutation of the Delta variant has taken place, primarily aimed at confirming the presence of the new Covid Plus variant. 

"A small number of sequences of Delta (B.1.617.2) having spike mutation K417N can be found on GISAID. As of today, these sequences have been identified in genomes from 10 countries. The sequences have recently been designated as lineage AY.1 (B.1.617.2.1), a sublineage of Delta, due to concerns about K417N is one of the mutations found in the Beta variant (B.1.351)," said Bani Jolly, a scientist specializing in genome sequencing. 

Possibility of third wave and Delta Plus variant of Covid

It was around a few weeks back that top medical experts in the country warned about a potential third wave of the Covid pandemic that could hit the country anytime soon. The warnings regarding the third wave were further issued by prime minister Narendra Modi, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, and Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan. 

With the detection of the new strain of the coronavirus, it is still unclear whether this variant could trigger the third wave of the pandemic in the country. Medical experts in the country are now waiting for the genome sequencing results to prepare themselves for the potentially deadly wave three.