Monday, 28 June 2021 | PTI | New Delhi
But that does not mean it is more transmissible: NTAGI
As Delta Plus cases continue to rise with 12 States in India reporting 51 cases, the head of India’s coronavirus working group said that the Delta Plus variant of Covid-19 has greater affinity for lung tissues as compared to other strains, but it does not mean that it will cause severe disease or is more transmissible.
Talking about the new variant of coronavirus identified on June 11, chairman of Covid-19 Working Group of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) Dr NK Arora said it has been found that the Delta Plus variant has more affinity for lung tissues as compared to other strains of the virus, but clarified that it does not mean the variant will cause more severe disease or is more transmissible.
“Delta Plus has greater affinity for the mucosal lining in the lungs. It is higher compared to other variants, but if it causes damage or not is not clear yet. It also does not mean that this variant will cause more severe disease or it is more transmissible,” Arora told PTI in an interview.
Arora said the impact of the Delta Plus strain will become clear only as more cases are identified but it appears that the disease is generally mild in all those who have got either a single or double dose of the vaccine.
“We need to keep a very close watch and look at its spread so that it will give us transmission efficiency,” he said. Arora said the number of cases identified of the Delta Plus variant may be more as there may be many asymptomatic individuals also — those who do not have any Covid-19 symptoms but they are carrying the virus and spreading it.
“But the important point is that our genomic surveillance component has picked it up rightly and early enough. Now that States have already been told that it is a variant of concern and it requires action which means that several States have already started making micro plans for the districts where the virus is identified so that the spread can be contained. Obviously vaccination will have to be increased in these districts,” he said.
