Delta Plus Declared As 'Variant Of Concern' By Union Health Ministry

Delta Plus: The Union Health Ministry announced on Tuesday that the Delta Plus variant of COVID-19 will be treated as a variant of concern in India.

The announcement was made by a press release On June 22 in which the central government said that the delta variant is "currently a variant of concern". Earlier the government of India had called the same variant a "variant of interest".

The central government has declared the 'Delta Plus' variant of the virus causing Covid-19 as a 'variant of concern' in India. Even during a public address of June 15, Dr VK Paul, Member of Niti Ayog had said that the said variant is not a concern in India. The variant was first detected in Europe in March.

He had said, "This is a variant of interest that has not yet been classified as a variant of concern. A variant of concern is in which we have understood that there are adverse consequences to humanity by increase in transmissibility and severity. This is not known yet about the Delta plus variant."

The health ministry has directed the state governments of Madhya Pradesh, Kerala and Maharashtra to take up immediate measures in terms of tracking the virus. Increasing testing numbers, vaccination and measures of containment of the variant are also on the agenda.

The states have also been told to send samples of COVID-19 positive persons to Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics (INSACOG) so that proper research and detection can be done in the matter.