E-Paper
Nurse from Chennai is Tamil Nadu's first Delta plus variant Covid-19 case
"Of the 772 samples, one has been reported as Delta Plus variant from Chennai. It pertained to a 32-year-old lady employed as a staff nurse at a hospital," Radhakrishnan told PTI.
Tamil Nadu on Wednesday reported its first case of Delta Plus variant of coronavirus disease (Covid-19), taking the total cases of the mutated virus to 40 in the country. A nurse from a city hospital has reportedly been infected by the virus, health secretary J Radhakrishnan said.
The state health department had sent a total of 1,159 samples for genome sequencing, out of which reports of 772 samples were received on Wednesday, in which one sample came back positive. The samples were sent in May to INSACOG (Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomic Consortia). The nurse has also recovered from the virus, officials said.
"Of the 772 samples, one has been reported as Delta Plus variant from Chennai. It pertained to a 32-year-old lady employed as a staff nurse at a hospital," Radhakrishnan told PTI.
The official has confirmed that there is no need for alarm and panic so long as the citizens follow Covid-19 safety protocols.
"We have seen the British variant and double mutant variant. There is no need to panic as of now," Radhakrishnan said. The IAS officer tasked with Covid-19 pandemic handling in the state said there is a need to adhere to Covid-19 prevention measures like wearing face mask, avoiding crowds and getting vaccinated.
The Delta Plus variant's properties, which are being investigated, is characterised by a mutation in the spike protein, which helps the virus gain entry into human cells.
A total of four states have confirmed the presence of the Delta Plus variant. These include Kerala, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
On Tuesday, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan had said the Delta variant is found in 80 countries around the world, including India, and it is a variant of concern.
