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NITIN JAIN
NEW TRIBUNE SERVICE
LUDHIANA, SEPTEMBER 23
The government has confirmed that Delta continues to remain the most dominant Covid variant (VoC) and has spread rapidly in the Punjab as the UK’s Alpha variant vanished after dominating the state until March.
A whopping 95.5% of the total Covid samples processed for whole genome sequencing (WGS) in July tested positive for Indian VoC (B.1.617), which had been dubbed Delta, official figures revealed.
However, no new cases of the highly contagious and feared new variant of Covid Delta Plus (B.1.617.2), which is a mutated form of Delta and is gradually spreading rapidly to several other countries, killing many, after being found. for the first time in India, has been reported in the state.
So far, only two Delta Plus cases, one in Ludhiana and Patiala districts, have been reported in June. Data analyzed by the Department of Health and Family Welfare, available from La Tribune, showed that a total of 2,863 Covid samples were sent for the WGS from January to July, of which 2,539, or 88.9%, were treated, and 2,284, which represented 90 percent, tested positive for VoCs.
The monthly VoC breakdown suggested that all 90 of the 108 samples in total, accounting for 83.3%, processed in July were positive for VoC, of which 86 tested positive for Delta, accounting for 95.5 percent, while two samples were that of Beta A, 2.2%, and one of each sample tested positive for B.1 and B.1.36, which represented 1.1% each.
In June, 319 samples were processed, of which 288, which represented 90.3%, tested positive for VoCs. Of these, 277 samples, representing 96.2%, tested positive for Delta, followed by four for B.1 (1.4%), two each for Alpha (0.7%), Beta A ( 0.7%) and only one sample tested positive for beta B (0.3 percent each).
As of May, 617 of the total 652 samples, which accounted for 94.6%, tested positive for VoCs. Of these, 547 cases, representing 88.6%, were from Delta, followed by 41 cases of B.1 (6.6%), 23 cases of Alpha (3.7%) and two cases of Delta Plus variant (0.3 percent).
As of April, 458 of 493 WGS samples had tested positive for VoCs, which accounted for 92.9%. Of these, 209 cases, representing 45.6%, tested positive for Delta, 191 cases (41.7 percent) for Alpha, and 50 cases (11 percent) were B.1.
In March, 715 out of 763 samples, or 93.7%, tested positive for VoCs. Among them, 678 cases, or 94.8%, had tested positive for Alpha, four cases (0.5%) for Delta, two cases (0.3%) for Beta, one case each (0 , 1%) for B.1 and B.1.36.
As of February, all 24 WGS samples had tested positive for VoCs, which accounted for 100 percent. Of these, 17 cases, representing 70.8%, had tested positive for Alpha and seven cases (29.2%) for other mutations.
In January, 24 of 48 samples processed for WGS tested positive for VoCs. Of these, seven cases, accounting for 29.2 percent, were of B.1, 4 cases (16.7%) of B.1.36, two cases each (8.3 percent) of Alpha and B.1.258.14, and one each (4.2%) of B, A, B.1.36.19, B.1.36.8, B.1.459, B.1.465, B.1.596, B.1.1 and B .1.216.
