Madhya Pradesh Records First Death From Delta Plus Variant Of COVID-19

Delta Plus cases in India: Genome sequencing has confirmed the first death due to COVID-19 Delta plus variant in the state of Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday. The patient had succumbed to the disease on May 23. So far, a total of six cases of the Delta Plus infections, including two deaths, have been detected in Madhya Pradesh. According to a top health department official, two of those patients who did not take the COVID-19 vaccine died, while four others, who were vaccinated, recovered without hospitalisation.

According to Dr Pragya Yadav, who is the head of the National Institute of Virology's (NIV) Maximum Containment Facility, the newly emerged Delta Plus variant has a possibility to increase transmissibility and can bind more easily to the lung cells, which means that it can enter the body more easily.

The new variant may possibly be resistant to monoclonal antibody treatment, rendering it ineffective for the infection. In this case, vaccination might be the best alternative for patients who have contracted the newest variant of the virus. Currently, the therapy recently approved in India consists of a cocktail of two drugs - Casirivimab and Imdevimab.

Mohammad Suleman, who is the additional chief secretary, health, said that two patients with the Delta Plus variant, one in Bhopal and another in Ujjain had died with the virus. Both of the patients were not vaccinated. According to Suleman, four other patients with the new variant who were vaccinated recovered at home.

The first death from Delta plus variant of COVID-19 in the state has been recorded for the date of May 23. The deceased woman's husband had tested positive before her, however he had received both doses of vaccine, while she was yet to receive it.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology will conduct a study on COVID-19 patients to examine the potency of the Delta Plus variant. Experts are reportedly currently attempting to find out how the variant affects illness development and if it causes severe COVID-19 infection.

Recently, more than 40 cases of the Delta Plus variant of the COVID-19 disease have been reported across the country including states like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu, and Punjab. The Health Ministry has issued alerts and has directed the states to take immediate containment measures in the places that have detected the new variant.