Rajasthan: First to Test Positive for Delta Plus Was Vaccinated

“She has recovered completely and had already received both doses of Covaxin,” Bikaner’s chief medical officer said.

The first case of a person testing positive for the Delta+ variant of COVID in Rajasthan, had been vaccinated, PTI reported.

The woman’s samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune on May 30 and her results came on 25 June. She is a 65-year-old resident of Bikaner.

The district's chief medical and health officer Dr OP Chahar said, "The Delta-plus variant was found in the woman's sample. She has already recovered from the Covid infection." Chahar said this was the first confirmed case of the variant in the state.

"She was asymptomatic and has recovered completely. She had already received both doses of Covaxin," Chahar said. The COVID-19 tally in Rajasthan, meanwhile, rose to 9,51,826 on Friday with 131 fresh cases, officials said.

What is the Delta Plus variant?

The Health Ministry has termed Delta plus variant of COVID-19 as a variant of concern.

Mutations in viruses are normal in nature, so why is this mutation concerning experts?

The main reason for the concerns is that it is a mutation of the Delta variant that is thought to be behind the devastating impact of the second wave.

The worry is that this variant may turn out to be more infectious than the Delta variant–known for being far more infectious than the original strain, and trigger an impending third wave.

Whether the variant is more transmissible or virulent than the Delta variant, "We do not know at this moment," said Dr V K Paul.

“We need to monitor it through The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics (INSACOG) in order to assess and detect its potential presence and growth in our country. This is the way forward in relation to the virus.”

Dr V K Paul, chairman of the COVID-19 task Force in India

Experts have expressed concerns regarding the variant's ability to evade the COVID vaccines.

Dr S K Sarin, director of ILBS, said that the high rate of infection from the Delta variant trend was a worrisome trend. “It shows that the variants can breach the antibodies generated by the vaccines and the vaccinesc currently being administrered may noy offer sufficient protection against new mutant strains. There may be a need for strict double masking despite vaccinations,” he told The Times of India.