Delta Plus: As Maharashtra confirms five deaths, we take a look at this COVID variant

Delta Plus refers to the three subtypes, AY.1, AY.2, and AY.3, looks very similar to the original Delta variant, which emerged in India, but with some changes. It has been dubbed as a Variant of concern in India

First identified in Europe in March this year, the delta plus variant is gradually starting to worry experts in India and around the globe. With Maharashtra on Friday (August 13, 2021) confirming five deaths due to the Delta Plus variant, it is evoking third wave scare among many. 

Delta Plus — which refers to the three subtypes AY.1, AY.2, and AY.3 — looks very similar to the original Delta variant, which emerged in India, but there are some changes in the variant.

India has dubbed Delta Plus a 'Variant of concern'. While currently there's no evidence suggesting that Delta Plus is going to become more problematic than Delta, some scientists still worry that the mutation, coupled with other existing features of the Delta variant, could make it more transmissible.

The Delta Plus variant of SARS-CoV2 has been detected in 86 samples in the country so far and it has not led to any exponential surge in cases, the government said. "We found the Delta Plus variant in 86 (genome) samples (sequenced)," Sujit Singh, head of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), said at the health ministry's press briefing earlier this week.

How transmissible is Delta Plus variant?

A sub-lineage of the Delta variant first detected in India, the Plus variant has acquired the spike protein mutation called K417N, the same mutation is also found in the Beta variant, which was first identified in South Africa. Some scientists fear that the mutation combined with other existing features of the Delta variant could make it more transmissible. While there are no confirmations yet on the level of transmissibility, studies are going on in India and globally to test the effectiveness of vaccines against this mutation.

Some experts worry that Delta Plus would inflict another wave of infections in India, after the Delta caused havoc in April-May in India's devastating second wave. Some are also concermed that the new mutant variant may just be capable of dodging immunities, both from COVID-19 vaccines as well as from earlier infections. This is because the Delta plus variant not only has all the symptoms that the original Delta variant had, but also carries symptoms from its partner Beta variant (K417N mutation), reported Reuters.