As Covid-19 Delta Plus variant cases come to light from Maharashtra, the Maha Vikas Aghadi government on Friday clamped Level-3 norms across entire Maharashtra and hinted at “wider and stricter restrictions”.
As Covid-19 Delta Plus variant cases come to light from Maharashtra, the Maha Vikas Aghadi government on Friday clamped Level-3 norms across entire Maharashtra and hinted at “wider and stricter restrictions”.
The tightening of norms also came as variant claimed its first victim, an 80-year-old woman from Ratnagiri.
A total of 21 cases of Delta Variant have been reported in the state so far, Ratnagiri has the highest (9), followed by Jalgaon (7), Mumbai (2), and one each in Thane, Palghar, and Sindhudurg districts and the rest of the state is on a high alert.
Meanwhile, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation also ordered level three of Covid-19 restrictions for Mumbai, hours after the Maharashtra government announced a tightening of norms.
Delta plus variant now in 174 districts
The highly transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus is present in at least 174 districts of the country — and its sub-lineage, Delta plus, has been to detected in 48 samples in 10 states, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday.
The Delta variant was a major contributor to the second wave of infections that peaked in April-May, the government said.
Data released by the Ministry showed that the variant was present in 52 districts across the country in March, and had spread to 174 districts by June.
“The second wave is not yet over in the country.
We have still got 75 districts that have more than 10 percent prevalence, and we have 92 districts that have between 5 percent and 10 percent prevalence,” Dr. Bhargava said.
“These districts are important, and it is possible for us to avert a big third wave provided individuals and the society adhere to Covid-appropriate behavior, and avoid mass gatherings. Any indicative hotspot that we find, they need to be identified and isolated,” he said.
The Health Ministry categorized the Delta plus variant of the coronavirus as a Variant of Concern (VOC) on Tuesday and directed states to take up immediate containment measures in clusters where it had been to detected.
Dr. Sujeet Kumar Singh, Director, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), said that of the 48 cases of Delta plus in 10 states. Maharashtra had 20, followed by Tamil Nadu (9), and Madhya Pradesh (7).
Dr. Singh clarified that there was no evidence currently to suggest that the Delta plus variant was significantly more dangerous than Delta.