BHUBANESWAR: Experts have a mixed view on the danger that the Delta Plus variant may pose even as a three-member team of health department officials on Saturday visited the village of the man in Deogarh district, who was found infected with the new strain of Covid-19, to take stock of the situation.
Delta (B.1.617.2) variant was the predominant strain during the second wave in the state with 713 out of 1,150 sequenced (62%) in March to May were Delta.
The state has found only one Delta Plus (B.1.617.2.1/(AY.1), a mutant of Delta.
Both have been declared variants of concern.
Ajay Parida, director of Institute of Life Sciences, the institute involved in genome sequencing of the virus, said the Delta Plus variant may not be as alarming as is being feared as of now.
“Just one man tested positive for the new strain in April.
If it was so transmissible, more cases would have been found in past more than two months,” Parida said.
The 65-year-old man tested positive on April 24.
His genome sequencing was done in May and it was discovered to be the new variant of concern.
Five percent of the RT PCR positive samples are sent for genome sequencing at random.
Parida said of the 45,000 samples studied for genome in India, 1,100 samples were from Odisha.
“At least 600 samples were studied after the one was found positive for Delta Plus.
This shows the variant may not be spreading as alarmingly as anticipated,” he said.
The man had taken first dose of Covishield on March 30.
The vaccine may have given protection as the man was mostly asymptomatic, he said.
Bramhadev Pattnaik, another virologist of repute, said a possible third wave in the country may be due to Delta variant or its offshoot like Delta Plus or further forward mutations.
“The danger looms.
It’s a matter of time before the third wave comes.
The only difference between third and second waves would be more vaccinated people.
The situation will depend on whether vaccines are able to protect,” he said.
The lone Delta Plus case in state comes from the unlikeliest Deogarh district, the least Covid affected among 30 districts in Odisha in both the waves.
Incidentally, Deogarh has reported the lowest number of total infections (5976), lowest virus deaths (32) and has the lowest current active cases (64) among all districts.
A team led by an epidemiologist visited the affected man, who is hale and hearty while there is no active positive case or death among his contacts, director of health services Bijay Mohapatra said.
The man had undergone Covid test after some positive cases were reported in the village.
In the village, 81 positive cases were found from April 17 to 30.
While four were hospitalised, the rest recovered at home.
All are in good health.
No death has been reported in the village so far, the health team stated.