The Institute of Life Sciences (ILS) on Thursday disclosed that the Delta variant of Covid-19 virus is more severe than the other variants and it has infected most people in the country during the second wave of the pandemic.
“Delta variant of the Covid19 virus has caused up to 96 per cent of infections in India and 92-93 per cent infections in Odisha during the second wave of the pandemic. We have conducted as many as 3,000 sample sequencing from Odisha in ILS in the first half of July and found that 93 per cent of the cases are of the Delta variant,” said ILS Director Ajay Parida adding that the Delta variant virus is remaining active in the body of the patients for around a month.
“The virus was active in a patient for around 15 days during the first wave. But during the second wave, it has undergone mutation and the new Delta variant is remaining active for about a month. Hence people should be more careful,” said Parida.
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Covid19 cases are now stable in Odisha and it is hovering around 2,000 (daily) since last week. The virus has not undergone any kind of mutation in the State, said Parida.
He pointed out that Covid appropriate behaviour, vaccination drive and further mutation of the virus are going to be the decisive factors in keeping the pandemic in check.
“People in the State shouldn’t get complacent and strictly adhere to the Covid appropriate behaviour to ensure a further dip in the number of cases,” Parida added.