The Ministry of Health in India has alerted Maharashtra, Kerala, and Madhya Pradesh states to take more focused and effective public health response measures as the Delta plus variant of COVID surfaces in some districts in these states, the ministry said in a release
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd June, 2021) The Ministry of Health in India has alerted Maharashtra, Kerala, and Madhya Pradesh states to take more focused and effective public health response measures as the Delta plus variant of COVID surfaces in some districts in these states, the ministry said in a release.
The alert came after recent findings of INSACOG, the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genetics Consortium, revealed that the Delta Plus variant of COVID-19, currently a Variant of Concern (VOC), has been found in some districts in these states.
The ministry advised the chief secretaries of these states to "take up immediate containment measures in the districts and clusters (as identified by INSACOG), including preventing crowds & intermingling of people, widespread testing, prompt tracing, and vaccine coverage on a priority basis."
The ministry also stressed that "states should ensure that sufficient samples of positive individuals are promptly sent to the designated laboratories of INSACOG so that clinical, epidemiological correlations can be made for further guidance to be provided to States."
India still occupies second place globally in the number of people infected with COVID-19, having registered approximately 29.9 million cases and over 389,302 deaths. The Delta COVID-19 variant, first identified in India and more contagious and resistant to human immunity than others, is becoming the dominant one globally and provoking new waves of infection in different countries.
