NEW DELHI: The government is keeping watch on delta plus, which is yet to be classified as a variant of concern, strain of Coronavirus, national Covid19 task force head V K Paul said.
Paul said the delta variant or B.1.617 strain, first detected in Maharashtra in India, played a major a role in the second wave of the pandemic in the country. “An additional mutation of this variant, namely Delta Plus, has been found and submitted to the global data system,” said Paul, adding that it had emerged in Europe in March and was brought into the public domain on June 13.
Paul, however, said that the new delta plus strain is yet to be classified as a “variant of concern,” adding that the government is keeping a close eye on its progress. “As per data available in the public domain, this variant nullifies the use of monoclonal antibodies, currently being used in mild moderate Covid patients with good results. We will study it...”
The B.1.617.2.1 variant is characterised by the acquisition of K417N mutation, according to scientists. The mutation is in the spike protein of SARS CoV 2, helping the virus enter and infect human cells. Till a few days back, there were 36 cases of the new variant in the UK while it made up 6% of all cases in the US.
