Randeep Guleria on Delta plus variant: There is not much data on the Delta Plus variant of coronavirus yet to suggest that it is more infectious, causes more deaths, or has developed a significant immune escape mechanism, Director Of All India Institute Of Medical Sciences, Dr Randeep Guleria said on July 1.
Dr Guleria further said that even though not much information is available of the new variant yet, following COVID appropriate behaviour is advisable, to be safe against any of the emerging variants of coronavirus.
Apart from the Delta plus variant of the virus, Dr Guleria also talked about the mixing of vaccines to tackle the problem of emerging variants. Regarding the matter, he said that more data is needed on the mixing of doses but studies show that it may be effective, however, it could cause a little more side effects. "But we need more data before we can say that this is a policy that should be tried," he said.
What is the Delta Plus variant?
The Delta plus is a variant of the SARS-CoV-2 which is a mutated form of the Delta variant or 'B.1.617.2 variant' and is characterised by a mutation in the spike protein which helps the virus enter the human body and infect the cells. Previously, the government authorities deemed Delta plus or the B.1.617.2 variant as a variant of concern because of its transmissibility (the quality of a disease or trait being able to be passed on from one person or organism to another), stronger binding to the lung cell, and potential decrease in the monoclonal antibody response, which means not responding to the antibody treatment.
As of June 25, the number of delta Pus variant cases in the country were reported to be 51, spread across 10 states in the country. Maharashtra reported the highest number of cases in the country with a total of 22 according to the government data.
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