KATHMANDU, July 10: The Delta Plus variant of COVID-19 has been confirmed in Nuwakot district. This new variant is considered 60 percent to 100 percent more fatal than the Alpha variant seen in the first wave and the Delta variant seen during the second wave of the COVID-19 in Nepal.
According to Dr Dipendra Pandey at Trishuli Hospital in Nuwakot, the new case of Delta Plus variant was confirmed after swab samples of four persons tested positive for the virus in the course of PCR tests in Nuwakot district were sent to international laboratory through National Public Health Laboratory in Teku, Kathmandu for gene sequencing. Although three swabs were found to be Delta (B.617.2), the remaining one swab sample was found to be Delta Plus (B.167.2 +K417N).
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Delta Plus is simply the Delta variant with an additional mutation called K417N. There are at least two separate groups of the variant and these are known as AY.1 and AY.2. The first of these, AY.1, appears to be the most globally widespread.
Delta Plus variant is one of the latest coronavirus variants to raise concern globally as this has the possibility to infect people of all age groups including children and is considered to be highly lethal in terms of the damage it can cause to lungs of COVID-19 patients. Experts have warned that the Delta Plus variant has high possibility to become a catalyst for the third wave of COVID-19.
The Health Ministry has urged all to take additional precautions and follow public health protocols to avoid possible transmission of this virus. This comes amid steady rise in the cases of COVID-19 after the authorities gradually relaxed two and half month long prohibitory orders to ease life of ordinary people.
