Why no large-scale testing to prevent spread of Delta plus variant, Rahul Gandhi questions Centre

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday asked the Narendra Modi government at the Centre as to why "no large-scale testing is being done" to check and prevent the spread of the Delta plus variant of coronavirus and how effective are the vaccines against it.

"Questions to the Narendra Modi government on Delta plus variant: Why is testing not being done on a large scale to check and prevent it? How effective are the vaccines against it and when will complete information be available? What is the plan to control it in the third wave of the virus," the Congress leader asked in a tweet in Hindi.

डेल्टा प्लस वेरिएंट पर मोदी सरकार से प्रश्न-

- इसकी जाँच व रोकथाम के लिए बड़े स्तर पर टेस्टिंग क्यों नहीं हो रही?

- वैक्सीन इसपर कितनी प्रभावशाली हैं व पूरी जानकारी कब मिलेगी?

- तीसरी लहर में इसे नियंत्रित करने का क्या प्लान है? — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 25, 2021

This comes as top health experts feel that the Delta plus variant, which has been declared as a 'variant of concern' by the Union Health Ministry, may trigger the third wave of COVID-19 infections in the country.

The country was hit severely by a brutal second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in April and May, claiming a massive number of lives daily, with a shortage in oxygen supply at various hospitals adding to the woes.

However, the number of active COVID cases has shown a downward trend and the positivity rate too has been shrinking in the last several days.

From a daily case count of over 4 lakh, the number of new COVID-19 cases has been hovering around 50,000 in the last couple of days.

The Union Health Ministry has recently said that around 40 cases of the delta plus variant of the Coronavirus, classified as a 'variant of concern', have been reported. These cases have been found in Maharashtra, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh.

These three states - Maharashtra, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh - have been advised to strengthen surveillance and take appropriate public health measures.