As the second wave of coronavirus in India is slowing down, fresh concerns have been reported as a new variant of Covid named the Delta Plus continues to baffle medical experts. As little is known about this new variant, the Central government, on Tuesday, requested three Indian states to be on high alert. Medical experts believe that the Delta Plus variant, if highly transmissible could result in the third wave in India, where the healthcare infrastructure is already crunched due to the ongoing second wave.
Kerala, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh in high alert
According to an advisory from the Ministry of Health, the new variant of Covid, the Delta Plus has been detected in the states of Kerala, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh. The advisory requested these states to be on high alert and asked authorities to adopt immediate containment measures where the variant is detected.
It should be noted that the Delta Plus variant of Covid is closely related to the Delta variant, which is the primary contributor to the deadly second wave of the pandemic in India. Like Delta, the Delta Plus variant has a mutation in the spike protein region of the RNA virus, which makes it more transmissible than other known variants.
The government has also classified the Delta Plus variant as the variant of concern. An initial analysis had suggested that the Delta Plus variant could be resistant to antibody clonal treatment, and now medical experts suspect that this variant may even evade the immunity offered by vaccination.
When will the third wave hit India?
In the meantime, the scare surrounding a potential third wave of the pandemic is already peaking in the nation. A few days back, a study report published by IIT Kanpur had suggested that the third wave of Covid will hit India by September or October.
AIIMS director Randeep Guleria had also shared similar views, and he also claimed that the third wave of the pandemic in the country is inevitable. He also suggested that the outbreak could happen within six to eight weeks, considering the fact that people in the nation are hesitant to follow coronavirus safety protocol.
