Nagpur: None of the 21 Maharashtra samples found to have the Delta plus variant of coronavirus is from Vidarbha.
The state health department had collected 7,500 samples from all districts across Maharashtra to test for the variant, which was declared a ‘variant of concern’ (VoC) by the Centre on Tuesday.
Majority of the samples are from the Konkan region, including Mumbai.
Delta plus is considered to be a triple mutant — an additional mutation in the Delta variant which was first found in Amravati and is believed to have triggered the second wave of Covid-19 in February.
State health minister Rajesh Tope said that of the 21 patients found infected with Delta plus, 9 were from Ratnagiri, 7 from Jalgaon, 2 from Mumbai and 1 each from Palghar, Sindhudurg and Thane.
Genome sequencing was conducted on the 7,500 samples that were collected since May 15, he added.
Experts said it was epidemiologically correct as per virus behaviour that no sample from Vidarbha had the Delta plus variant.
“The virus has lost scope for multiplication in Nagpur and Vidarbha by now.
This is not allowing it to mutate further to Delta plus,” said infectious diseases specialist Dr Nitin Shinde.
“The second wave reached Ratnagiri and then Konkan very late.
Even now, the test positivity rate is high in that region.
As people are still uninfected, the virus has got a scope to multiply and modify itself there.
Conditions in Vidarbha are completely different,” Dr Shinde added.
Epidemiologist Dr Anand Thatte said that mutation is the most common characteristic of any virus and in case it gets detected in Vidarbha, the Delta plus variant will not bring a third wave to the region.
“Even though Delta plus is a new mutation, the changes are not so dramatic that it will escape the immunity our people have gained after the second wave,” he added.
Both the experts reasserted that the Vidarbha region, especially Nagpur district and city, would be safe for several weeks ahead.
The state government’s Covid task force is currently studying the expected impact of Delta plus.
“Complete information of these index cases is being taken.
Contact tracing, travel history, vaccination status and infection status are being checked.
Detailed information is being collected about the mutations of Delta and Delta plus.
Further studies will make it clear how harmful the mutation is,” said a senior member of the state task force.