Fresh cases of Delta plus, Kappa variants surface in Gorakhpur region

LUCKNOW Even as fresh Covid cases continued to decline in Uttar Pradesh, the detection of fresh cases of Delta plus and Kappa variants of Covid in Gorakhpur region came as a cause of worry for the state health department

LUCKNOW Even as fresh Covid cases continued to decline in Uttar Pradesh, the detection of fresh cases of Delta plus and Kappa variants of Covid in Gorakhpur region came as a cause of worry for the state health department.

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The Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC), Gorakhpur had sent 90 samples to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, for genome sequencing in May. The centre received the report of 38 samples from the institute, confirming eight samples positive for the Delta plus variant, 27 for the Delta variant and three for Kappa variant. The report of 52 samples was awaited, said Dr Ashok Kumar Pandey, senior scientist at RMRC.

In the first week of May, the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur had sent 72 samples for genome sequencing to the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, New Delhi. After two months, the medical College received report of 30 samples from the institute confirming two samples positive for the Delta plus variant, 27 for the Delta variant and one for the Kappa variant while the report of 42 samples was still awaited.

With the fresh genome sequencing report from the NIV, the number of Delta plus and Kappa variant cases in the region rose to 10 and 4, respectively while the remaining 54 cases were of the Delta variant.

Pandey said among the eight Delta plus variant cases, four each were from Maharajganj and Kushinagar districts. The three Kappa variant cases were from Maharajganj district. The RMRC directed chief medical officers of the Maharajganj and Kushinagar districts to submit a detailed report of the people whose samples were sent for genome sequencing, he said.

The samples of people, whose cycle threshold (CT) value was less than 25, had been sent for genome sequencing. May had witnessed the surge of the second wave of Covid and majority of the people had not taken the Covid vaccine jabs. The Covid vaccines were effective against the Delta variant that led to the second wave. Scientists were studying the effectiveness of the vaccine against the Delta plus variant and the report was likely to be released in August, he added.

Sounding an alert over the detection of fresh Delta plus and Kappa variants of Covid, head of microbiology department, BRD Medical College, Gorakhpur, Dr Amresh Singh said the ‘test, trace and treat’ (3-T) policy played an important role in Covid management in UP.

The health department was carrying out over two lakh sample tests each day and now the focus should be on tracing people infected with Delta plus variant, which was highly infectious.

The Gorakhpur region in eastern UP is known as a migrant zone. A large number of people from here migrate to various states and metropolitan cities in search of jobs.

There is large movement of people from Mumbai and Kerala, where the Delta plus variant had already been reported. Returnees from Mumbai carrying the Delta plus variant could not be ruled out, said experts. Dr Singh said for quick reports, genome sequencing facility should be set up in at the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur.

Additional chief secretary, health and family welfare, Amit Mohan Prasad said the health and family welfare department was monitoring the situation in eastern UP.

The state government had stepped up surveillance and RT-PCR sample tests had been ramped up. The state government had already set up genome sequencing facilities at King George’s Medical University and Central Drug Research Institute in Lucknow and at BHU in Varanasi, he added.