INDORE: Delta (B.1.617.2) variant- a variant of concern (VOC) of SARS-Covid-19 virus has spread its pawn more rapidly than others in the district in the last one month or so, showed a record of chief medical and health officer’s office.
Between mid-June and till Wednesday, the district reported 91 new cases of Delta variant increasing its share to around 29% from just five percent while Alpha (B.l.1.7) ‘s share dipped in over- all genome sequencing report released from National Center for Disease Control (NCDC).
The other variants reported in the district in the last five months were Beta (B.1.351) and one sub-variant of Alpha.The only thing of relief for the district is that till now it hadn’t reported any case of Delta plus or any other new variant of concern.
District nodal officer for Covid-19 Dr Amit Malakar said, “The district hasn’t reported any case of Delta plus variant of pandemic virus till date or any other new one. All those variants of concern in the district were reported in the district during the second wave.”
“Delta is still here, spreading and it even surpassed the Alpha variant for the last two months or so in the district, ‘‘ said Dr Malakar.
This delta variant was behind the devastating second wave in district as well as in state. TOI on July 1 reported that almost 100% of cases in June in MP were caused because of Delta variant.
In Indore district, the first case of the new UK variant — Alpha — was reported in March this year. Since then, the authority has increased surveillance in the district in accordance with guidelines received from state health authority.
The first three samples were sent for genome sequencing on December 28 last year from the district. Since then, around 1000 samples were sent to NCDC for testing with the last lot of 15 samples sent on August 1.
The sample numbers were reduced to 11 from 15 for the Indore district in the last 15 days because of a dip in cases of Covid-19 infection. The authorities have been consistently sending the samples to NCDC for genome testing every two weeks.
Around hundreds of reports of genome sequencing samples sent to NCDC are pending. The last report of three people testing positive for Delta variant was received by the district authority in August itself.
