DELTA PLUS VARIANT CLAIMS THIRD LIFE IN MAHARASHTRA, VICTIM FULLY VACCINATED

At a time Maharashtra is trying to ease Covid-19 restrictions, three deaths from the Delta Plus variant have been reported from the state, including one in Mumbai.

A 63-year-old woman who died on 27 July is reported to be Mumbai’s first Delta Plus death. A 69-year-old man died in Raigad from the strain. Last month, an 80-year-old woman from Ratnagiri died too.

The Mumbai woman had taken both the doses of the vaccine, but tested coronavirus positive on 21 July with symptoms of dry cough, loss of taste, body ache and headache. She had several comorbidities including diabetes, and passed away on 22 July, health officials said. The genome sequencing report has now shown that he had been infected with Delta Plus.

The state health department officials are trying to trace people who have recently come into contact with the infected patients.

On Wednesday, the Central government said the Delta Plus has been detected in 86 cases across the country but there is no “exponential surge” so far. The most were detected in Maharashtra, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, the Union Health Ministry said in an official briefing.

Delta Plus, a mutation of the highly transmissible Delta variant, was detected in Maharashtra during the second Covid-19 wave. In June, the Union health ministry declared it as the variant of concern.