MUMBAI: Delta and its descendants continued to be the most common SARS-CoV-2 variants in circulating in Mumbai, according to the fourth gene sequencing exercise conducted since August.
The results, announced by BMC on Friday, showed 75% of the tested samples contained the Delta variant and the remaining were Delta derivatives.
Correlating the genomic results with clinical symptoms, BMC doctors said both Delta and its derivatives seemed only “mildly invasive”. “As compared to Delta, the derivative infection and transmissions seem milder,” said a doctor.
Vaccination made a difference, said BMC additional commissioner Suresh Kakani. Of the 281 samples, only eight who took the first dose and 21 fully vaccinated people needed hospitalisation as against 69 unvaccinated. There were no deaths in the vaccinated group, and the unvaccinated had four deaths.
“There are no new variants of concern in Mumbai or any Indian states. We now have to concentrate on achieving zero Covid deaths,” said Dr Shashank Joshi, who is a member of the state Covid task force. The possibility of a third wave in the absence of a new variant of concern appears distant.
