Coronavirus: All you need to know about Delta Plus Variant

As many as 40 cases of Delta Plus Covid variant have been detected in India the strain which the government has tagged as a "Variant of Concern". A total of 21 cases of the new strain have been found in Maharashtra, six in Madhya Pradesh, three each in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, two in Karnataka and one each in Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Jammu, said sources.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) on Tuesday also informed that the Delta Plus variant of Covid-19 was found in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri and Jalgaon; Kerala's Palakkad and Pathanamthitta; and Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal and Shivpur.

How many cases of Delta Plus Covid variant in country:

- Maharashtra - 21 
- Madhya Pradesh - 6 
- Kerala - 3 
- Tamil Nadu - 3
- Karnataka - 2 
- Andhra Pradesh - 1 
- Punjab - 1
- Jammu - 1

The transmissibility of Delta variant is unquestionably greater than the wild type SARS-CoV2 as well as the Alpha variant. The delta variant of the corona virus is becoming more dangerous than other forms of the virus in the world. Because it spreads very fast. The delta variant of the corona virus was first found in India. However, it has now spread to at least 80 countries around the world. B.1.617.2 Delta variant was found in India in October 2020.

Speaking at a White House briefing on COVID-19 on Tuesday, Dr. Fauci said the variant, which was first identified in India, now makes up more than 20% of all new cases in the U.S., a significant increase from nearly 10% two weeks ago. “Similar to the situation in the U.K., the Delta variant is currently the greatest threat in the U.S. to our attempt to eliminate COVID-19,” Dr. Fauci said.

Soon after findings, the India's health ministry alerted the three states to take precautionary measures and shared that Delta Plus has characteristics like increased transmissibility, stronger binding to receptors of lung cells, potential reduction in monoclonal antibody response.

Is Covishield and Covaxin effective against this variant?

According to the Ministry of Health, in general, both Indian vaccines are effective against Covishield and Covaxin Delta variants. However, information on how much and to what extent they can produce antibodies will be made public soon.