After wreaking havoc in India during the ferocious second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in April and May, the Delta variant has further mutated to form a more transmissible and infectious Delta Plus variant of COVID-19. The newly detected variant has been termed as a ‘variant of concern’ by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The experts have warned that the Delta variant which had its origin in India in October 2020 is spreading rapidly surpassing all the other previous strains of novel coronavirus. So what makes this variant so dangerous than the others?
Experts have said that this COVID-19 variant can cause various illnesses amongst infected individuals. In the latest study, head of coronavirus working group NTAGI Dr N. K. Arora has warned that the Delta plus variant of COVID-19 has a greater affinity to lung tissues as compared to other strains.
The Delta Plus variant was first detected in India on June 11, 2021. Till now, 51 cases of Delta Plus have been detected across 12 states, with Maharashtra reporting the maximum cases of this variant. According to the experts, the transmissibility is unquestionably greater than the wild-type SARS-CoV-2, as well as the Alpha variant.
It is associated with increased disease severity, as reflected by hospitalisation risk, compared to Alpha. And in lab tests, it is associated with modestly decreased neutralization by sera from previously infected and vaccinated individuals.