Tamil Nadu has reported its first case of the Delta Plus coronavirus variant in Chennai with a nurse getting infected and recovering from the virus, said Tamil Nadu Health Secretary Dr J Radhakrishnan on Wednesday. Following this, the Health Department sent 1,159 samples in May to Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomic Consortia (INSACOG), a consortium of 28 labs tasked with genome sequencing of the virus causing COVID-19, and the reports of 772 samples were made available on Wednesday.
"Of the 772 samples, one has been reported as Delta Plus variant from Chennai. It pertained to a 32-year-old woman employed as a staff nurse at a hospital," he said. The senior IAS official, who has been handling the pandemic crisis, said there was no need for alarm. "We have seen the British variant and double mutant variant. There is no need to panic as of now," Radhakrishnan said and emphasised upon the need to adhere to COVID-19 prevention measures like wearing face masks, 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. Neighbouring Kerala, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh have identified similar cases. On Tuesday, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan had said the Delta variant was reported in 80 countries around the world, including India, and it is a variant of concern.
The state reported a case of Delta variant on the same day as it reported 6,596 new coronavirus infections and 166 deaths, taking the total numbers so far to 24.43 lakh and 31,746 respectively. Of the 166 fatalities, 57 were in private hospitals and 109 in government facilities. The number of people who got discharged in the latest 24-hour period was 10,432 and recoveries till date increased to 23.58 lakh.
Active cases, including those in isolation, as on Wednesday stood at 52,884, according to a bulletin. Barring Coimbatore and Erode districts which reported 793 and 686 fresh infections respectively, 35 districts saw new cases either in double-digits or less than 500.