GUWAHATI: The second wave of Covid-19 may have taken a deadlier turn in Assam mainly due to the presence of the delta variant, health experts said.
In the last 15 days, out of the 66 samples tested for the new variant, about 70% were found positive with the delta virus.
The rest were detected to be the lesser virulent Kappa variant.
Health minister Keshab Mahanta urged people to exercise restraint, even as the state government is set to adopt stricter restrictions in several districts that have been tagged ‘Red’ due to the continuous spread of the virus.
“From periodical analysis of samples, the presence of the delta virus has been confirmed in the state.
The spread of this variant is quite faster and it attacks the lung tissues,” the executive director at the Assam National Health Mission (NHM), Dr Manoj Choudhury, told TOI.
Health sources said that the significantly higher number of cases in less than three months of the second wave may have been due to the delta variant, which remained unnoticed when the state reached the peak of the second wave between May 18 and 24.
From March 31, 2020 to March 31, 2021, 2.18 lakh (2,18,412) positive cases were detected in the state, between April 1 to June 25 (Friday) this year, the corresponding figure has crossed 2.78 lakh (2,78,069) already.
The previous year’s figure of Covid fatalities was 1,105, but since April 1, it has crossed 3,265.
Choudhury, however, said the treatment protocol for the delta virus infected patients is the same as with other Covid cases.
“Even though the presence of the new variant was undesirable, our focus now is going to be on maximum vaccination.
That is the only way to protect the masses from this fast spreading variant,” Choudhury added.
He felt that perhaps, there were plenty of cases during the second wave where the patients were infected by the delta variant in the state.
“We sent 66 samples for testing to a lab in Kolkata in the last 15 to 20 days, from where the presence of the variant has been confirmed very recently,” Choudhury said.
But he said, the presence of delta plus strain has not yet been confirmed in Assam.
Even as there are worries among the public that the delta virus might trigger a third wave, health sources turned down the possibility.
“If the third wave emerges out of the existing cases, the virus variants are going to be the same.
But if Assam or the northeast is swept by a third wave from outside, it will be due to another variant,” a senior health official said, adding that the second wave is likely to culminate with the delta and kappa variants in the state.
Talking to the media here on Saturday, Mahanta said there are official reports of only one death due to the delta virus in Assam.
“Many recovered patients were infected with the delta variant but after sample analysis, we found only one of them died.
There is no doubt that there is a huge impact of the delta virus, but the death figures due to this variant show that there is nothing to panic,” Mahanta said.
While health sources said that the decline in the cumulative daily cases in Assam by around 500 since last one week is ‘significant’, in Guwahati, the situation remains unchanged with daily cases hovering around 150 for a while.
The sources further informed that a total 274 places in different parts of the state have been identified to be having ‘some potential cases’ for which the government is considering declaring micro-containment zones in these areas.
However, the final decision will be taken by the respective deputy commissioners, in consultation with the NHM.
“In the districts that are showing better recovery rate and lesser infection, relaxations will continue.
But rigorous testing, over one lakh, will continue to segregate more positive cases and their contact tracing will follow,” the official added.