COVID-19: INSACOG to release genomic surveillance bulletin on Delta Plus variant soon, says sources
Jun 22, 2021
By Shalini Bhardwaj
New Delhi [India], June 22 : Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genome Sequencing Consortia (INSACOG) - a consortium of four city clusters -- Bengaluru, Hyderabad, New Delhi and Pune -- will formally release the genomic surveillance bulletin on Delta Plus variant soon, according to government sources.
"INSACOG is going to formally release the genomic surveillance bulletin on Delta Plus variant soon. The Centre is closely monitoring Delta Plus cases to take timely and appropriate step to prevent its spread," the sources said.
In India, the Delta variant has further mutated to form the 'Delta plus' or 'AY.1' variant. Initial data suggests that Delta plus variant shows signs of resistance towards monoclonal antibodies cocktail treatments.
However, most experts and scientists believe the prevalence of this variant is still slow in India.
The first case of the Delta plus variant was reported in a 64-year-old woman from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh who recovered under home isolation.
Earlier Dr VK Paul, Member (Health) of the Niti Aayog, had said, "Delta variant is a variant of the investigation. We are still trying to understand its impact on transmissibility and severity of diseases."
