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Bhubaneswar: Cautioning people of a possible third wave of the on going pandemic, the State Health Department has expressed concern over the detection of Delta Plus variant of Covid 19 in several other States, which has been tagged as the ‘variant of concern’.
Director, Directorate of Medical Education and Training (DMET) Dr CBK Mohanty said the Delta Plus variant has been detected in some states. It is a mutation of Delta Variant of Covid 19 virus. More study on the new strain is going on at different levels to find out its rate of infection, severity and impact, Mohanty added.
“The Covid 19 virus has mutated several times and Delta Plus is one among the mutations. Some other mutants like UK strain, South African, Brazilian were also detected earlier in various countries. Mutation of the virus is a continuous process and it will go on,” he added.
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Not only the government of Odisha but the Centre, WHO, CDC (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention) are also on alert. The new strain has been tagged as a variant of concern.
“We should remain cautious to prevent any possible eventuality in the future,” Mohanty said.
People should follow the Covid protocols strictly and not lower guard as there is possibility of a third wave.
Some people are found violating the Covid guidelines after the restrictions are eased, assuming that the pandemic is over. Such behaviour would cause severe harm to us, Mohanty said.
Sources said the new strain has been found in Maharashtra, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh following which the Centre has issued a warning.
The Delta Plus, much like the Delta strain that has spread to several countries, is highly infectious and fast-spreading, sources added.
Experts apprehend that the new variant is showing resistance to existing treatment protocols. The government which has clarified the effectiveness of vaccines against Delta Variant, is yet to come up with the data on how vaccines work on Delta Plus.
