Delta Plus Variant now Variant of Concern, found in 6 districts of India, announces Government

On Tuesday, The Centre announced the dangerous Delta plus variant as a  ‘variant of concern’ just hours after Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan and chairman, National Empowered Group on Vaccination V.K.

Paul said it was only a ‘variant of interest (VoI)’.

The actual variant of concern (VoC) carries the highest threat perception of a coronavirus variant, which is characterized by increased infectivity, transmissibility, or resistance to vaccines and treatment.

A VoI is a degree lower.

As of June 14, The World Health Organisation has classified the variant ‘delta’ (B.1.617.2) as well as offshoots — AY.1 and AY.2 — as VoC.

Delta plus, as the variant is sometimes referred to, is an informal name.

So far there are only four international VoC (alpha, beta, gamma, and delta) with the off-shoots, AY.1 and AY.2 classified as off-shoots of Delta.

“Delta variant is a Variant of Concern and has been found in 80 countries.

Delta plus is in 9 countries and as of now is in the category of a variant of interest and is not yet in the variant of concern category,” said Bhushan at the weekly press briefing on Tuesday.

However, in a press statement, the Ministry first referred to it as a ‘variant of concern’ then issued a correction calling it a ‘variant of interest’ and then again reverted to calling it a ‘variant of concern’.

Meanwhile, The Union Health Ministry has advised Maharashtra, Kerala, and MP regarding the Delta Plus COVID-19 variant detected in some districts of these states, the government said on Tuesday.

The variant has been found in genome sequenced samples from Maharashtra`s Ratnagiri and Jalgaon districts, Kerala`s Palakkad and Pathanamthitta districts, and MP`s Bhopal and Shivpuri districts, it added.

Though a record 8.8 million vaccines administered on Monday only 46% were administered to women.

This “gender imbalance” needed to be corrected in the days ahead, said Dr.

Paul.