JAIPUR: The highly infective second wave of Covid-19 was dominated by the Delta variant in the state.
This has now been revealed by the laboratory that sequenced genome samples from Rajasthan.
Out of the 174 samples, as many as 166 samples tested positive for the Delta variant collected from the state in April and May.
Chief minister Ashok Gehlot has also expressed his concern on the report from the Centre.
He said that there is fear that the Delta variant, which caused the damage, may infect people who have already been vaccinated.
“These samples were collected from April-May Covid cases.
The state government has received a report showing that the Delta variant is circulating in the state with 166 samples testing positive for it.
Apart from this, five samples have tested positive for the Kappa variant, two for the Alpha variant,” a health department official said.
The Covid Delta variant, scientifically termed B.1.617.2, refers to the merging of two mutations of a virus strain that form a third, super infectious strain.
The B.1.617.2 variant contains mutations from two separate virus variants, namely E484Q and L452R.“In 80% of the cases, the Delta variant was responsible, which is not only aggressive but also spreads much faster.
It is 50% more infective and, even after recovery, causes prolonged post-Covid symptoms such as more thromboembolism and blood clots.
It has also targeted the younger generation,” said Dr Sudhir Bhandari, principal and controller, SMS Medical College.
Since the state does not have any genome sequencing facility, the health department had sent the samples to the lab in Delhi.
“It was actually a Delta wave which swept across the state with high infectivity.
Not only Rajasthan, the entire north India was affected by the variant.
Studies and genome sequencing reports have confirmed it.
The higher number of deaths in the second wave happened due to this variant.
Among other complications, it also affects pancreas, resulting in sugar levels going up and causing more complications such as mucormycosis,” said Dr Virendra Singh, member of the advisory committee on Covid formed by the state government.
He said that in the UK also cases have gone up.
It has also been found the Delta variant was in circulation in that country, infecting more people.
At the start of the second wave, doctors had failed to understand the behaviour of Covid and also why it was affecting recovered patients.
“In some patients, it was observed that despite all optimal and standard medications and treatment given, the disease had continued to progress.
The patients required ventilators and did not survive.
The lungs got infected quickly in Covid caused by the Delta variant.
In the second week of infection, the lungs of patients were affected within a few days of the infection.
The condition of such patients started to deteriorate in the second week.
This was not the case in the first wave,” said Dr K K Sharma, senior consultant (pulmonology), at a private hospital.
Despite recovering from the virus, many patients are still battling for life on ventilator support.
“We have seen many cases which are quite unusual from Covid cases earlier who had pneumomediastinum (SPM) and pneumothorax (PNX).
In all these cases, the lungs of patients got badly damaged.
A lot of such patients are still on ventilator and oxygen support despite having recovered from the virus.
They are oxygen dependent.
Also, patients under home isolation, who took steroids for Covid treatment, contracted mucormycosis and other post-Covid complications.
The Delta variant has taken a toll on the health of the people,” said Dr Sheetu Singh, director (Covid pulmonary rehab) at a private hospital.
The SMS Medical College also observed that many Covid cases went undetected by RT-PCR tests and the infection of lungs was detected only when the patients got the HRCT done.