Chandigarh: The highly contagious Delta variant (B.1.617) of Covid-19 is fast making its presence felt in Punjab by coming close to overtaking the commonly found Alpha variant (B.1.1.7) of concern that was first detected in the Kent region of the UK.
The presence of the B.1.617 variant, detected first in India earlier this year, was bare minimal in Punjab in the first three months.
However, Delta recorded a growth of about 40% in just a month, worrying health experts as it is said to be up to 50% more transmissible than Alpha that is 50% more contagious than other common strains.
If not contained, it will lead to faster spread of infection, resulting in increase in hospitalisation and fatality.
From January to May, 2,213 samples have been sent to National Centre for Disease Control and CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology for whole genome sequencing.
So far, a total of 1,164 (52.6%) have been processed, while results of 850 samples sent in May are awaited.
The data reveals that out of 1,164 samples, variants of concern have been found in 1,022 samples (87.8%).
In March, variants of concern were found in 672 samples – about 96% of the samples sent for genome sequencing – of which the Alpha variant was detected in about 95% samples, while the Delta variant was found only in 6% of samples.
However, in April, out of 252 samples in which variants of concern were found, the number of Delta jumped to 117, over 46% of total samples, while in 132 the Alpha variant was found.
Variant B.1 was found in three samples.
After a sudden spike in the number of cases, Punjab was among the first few states in the country to start collecting samples for whole genome sequencing to know the reasons behind the rise.
Combination of the two fast spreading variants of concern led to a surge of coronavirus cases during the second wave of the pandemic.
Since January, as many as 4,11,475 cases, over 71% of total cases of 5,77,997, have been reported till date, while 9,668, over 64% of total deaths, have been registered during this period.
Dr Rakesh Kumar Gupta, president, Strategic Institute for Public Health Education and Research (SIPHER), alerted that as the Delta variant is more transmissible than other lineages, the government and health authorities need to be proactive in planning containment and management measures.
“The government and its public health experts need to stay ahead of the curve for better management of the situation ,” said Dr Gupta.
Dr Rajesh Bhaskar, Punjab Covid-19 nodal officer, maintained that the available data points at the Delta variant replacing Alpha.
He further said the health department is taking steps for strict surveillance in the affected districts and has increased other containment and management measures including testing, contact tracing and timely treatment.