There are already at least 200 cases of the Delta Plus variant worldwide. What is known about them?

It is spreading in many countries, including the UK, US and India, health experts say. The strain is called B.1.617.2.1 or AY.1 – Delta Plus for short and is a version of the Delta variant first detected in India in February, CNN reports.

1. The Delta mutation is responsible for the increase in the number of infections in recent weeks. The strain comes from India, but has reached many countries, including Europe
2. A few days ago, another mutation was announced – Delta Plus
3. Although we do not know much about its contagiousness, the WHO has announced vigilance on this topic. So research and analysis of the strain are ongoing
4. According to data from Public Health England, approximately 200 cases of COVID-19 caused by this mutation had been detected by mid-June. Nine cases were recorded in Poland
5. More information can be found on the Onet homepage.

For the first time, a Delta Plus variant was announced to the world by Public Health England, the government’s health agency, on June 11. However, it may have been present and spread already in spring. In turn, the Indian government sent the variant to the Global Data System and sent samples for genomic testing. We still know very little about the mutation.

1. Delta Plus. A new mutation has been detected in several regions of India

About 200 cases of Delta Plus have been detected so far in 11 countries: UK (36), Canada (1), India (8), Japan (15), Nepal (3), Portugal (22), Our Country (1), Switzerland (18), Turkey (1), and the United States (83). According to the website hindustatines.com, which refers to data from WHO, 9 cases of mutations were also detected in Poland. However, the Ministry of Health has not confirmed these reports so far.

One person died in connection with the Delta Plus variant, it happened in India. All data covers the period until June 16.

Health experts are investigating whether Delta Plus may be more infectious than other strains such as the Alpha variant or the Delta variant is too early to say for sure what its effects may be.

How is Delta Plus different from the Delta variant?

Delta Plus has an additional mutation called K417N, which distinguishes it from the Delta variant detected a few months earlier. This mutation affects the part of the virus that attaches to infected cells. The K417N mutation is not entirely new – “it arose independently in several viral lines,” said Francois Balloux, director of the Institute of Genetics at University College London (UCL).

All viruses mutate constantly. In some cases, mutations make viruses replicate better and infect cells more efficiently. However, this is not a rule, some mutations can introduce slight changes to viruses, sometimes even neutralizing them.

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Maria Van Kerkhove, World Health Organization technical manager for COVID-19, added that the team “looked at this particular mutation in terms of both transmission and severity. It was checked what medical countermeasures should be introduced »- informs CNN.

The usual Delta variant, also known as strain B.1.617.2, spread rapidly. Cases have been detected in more than a dozen countries and are estimated to be 40 to 60 percent. more contagious than the Alpha variant. However, it is not known whether the infectivity of the Delta Plus variant is the same as that of the Delta variant.

Is the Delta Plus variant more infectious, lethal, vaccine-resistant?

The Delta Plus variant exhibits several disturbing features, such as increased infectivity, stronger binding to lung cell receptors, and it could potentially slow down the antibody response. It is not yet clear what effect the mutation might have on the effectiveness of the vaccine, but Julian Tang, a professor at the University of Leicester, warned that it may have “more resistant to the vaccine”.

For now, experts have warned to remain vigilant, while pleading for calm. Apart from the Beta variant, no other strain carrying the K417N mutation “has been particularly dangerous so far,” Balloux said. Experts reassure that so far the mutation has reached several countries, but it is not very widespread. It has been found in several countries, but its frequency is extremely low. According to Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO is tracking Delta Plus to determine its ability to move.

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Where was he found? How fast does it spread?

So far, Delta Plus has been found in 11 countries. More data is needed to determine the actual spread rate of the variant. «There is no information that Delta Plus infects people infected in the first wave, vaccinated or infected in the second wave. Watch it spread to learn more, ”said T. Jacob John, director of clinical virology at the Christian Medical College in India.

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India is still recovering from the devastating second wave, which infected millions and killed hundreds of thousands of people in the past few months. It is not yet known whether Delta Plus will take another blow.

The UK reported 16 cases of the variant by June 36. The first few cases, according to Public Health England, are from people who have traveled from or through Nepal and Turkey.

See also:

1. New Delta Plus variant. What’s the risk?
2. Several dozen cases of the Delta variant in Poland. “We have it under control”
3. Will the Delta Coronavirus variant ruin our summer vacation in Europe?

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