62-year-old man is Odisha’s first Delta Plus variant case. He has recovered

Odisha’s Delta Plus variant case was reported in May. The government said he hadn’t received a single dose of vaccination when he was infected

Bhubaneswar: Odisha on Friday reported its first case of Delta Plus variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, classified by the Union health ministry as a variant of concern, prompting the government to reassure people that they need to continue taking precautions but there is no cause for concern.

Odisha’s TRP has dropped to 4.53% but there are districts like Khurda, Jajpur, Balasore and Cuttack which have a TPR of more than 5%. (PTI)

Additional chief secretary, health department, PK Mohapatra said a 62-year-old male from Deogarh district was among the 48 cases of Delta Plus in the country after genome sequencing of the virus was done by laboratories.

“The person did not receive any vaccination when his swab sample was taken for test and subsequent genome sequencing... He has recovered from the infection,” said Mohapatra.

Scientists at Institute of Life Sciences in Bhubaneswar, where the genome sequencing was done in the second week of May, however did not find any other case of Delta Plus variant even though genome sequencing of 600 samples was done after this case.

So far, Maharashtra, which was the worst-hit state in the second surge of the virus cases has detected 20 cases, the maximum in the country that appears to have contributed to the state government’s decision to tighten restrictions citing fears of a “more severe third wave” and concern over variants of the virus that could pose a challenge in keeping the public health crisis under control.

Director of health services Dr Bijay Moahapatra said there was no cause for concern in Odisha as the state expects the trend of cases surging in states like Delhi and Maharashtra before they rise in Odisha. The effects of the first wave and second wave were felt in Delhi and Mumbai first and later on in Odisha. “So we can predict the arrival of the third wave. But we have to be cautious and prepared,” he said.

On Friday, Odisha reported 2,912 new Covid cases. The total positivity rate has also dropped to 4.53% but there are districts like Khurda, Jajpur, Balasore and Cuttack which have a TPR of more than 5%.

The daily death toll has also remained over 40 since June 1 with 2,000 deaths reported in the last 3 months. Of the 29,500 active cases in the state, around 22% are under treatment at various hospitals while 8% are in ICUs.