On Wednesday, 20 more Delta Plus patients were found in Maharashtra during genome sequencing taking the total count of the cases to 65 in the state. The IGIB laboratory found 7 cases in Mumbai, 3 in Pune, 2 in Nanded, Gindia, Raigad, Palghar and 1 in Chandrapur and Akola.
This genetic sequencing test shows that delta variants are found in more than 80 per cent of the samples in the state. The survey has so far identified 65 Delta Plus variants in the state. Of the total Delta plus patients found in the state so far, 32 are men and 33 are women.
The highest number of 33 Delta Plus patients are in the age group of 19 to 45 years, followed by 17 patients in the age group of 46 to 60 years. There are 7 children under 18 years of age and 8 patients above 60 years of age.
Out of the 65 patients reported so far, except for one death in Ratnagiri district, the incidence of the disease in Delta Plus patients is mild to moderate.
Genetic sequencing is a very important component of laboratory surveys. This genetic sequencing is done in two ways
1) 5 laboratories and 5 hospitals in the state have been selected as Sentinel Centers. Each Sentinel Center sends 15 laboratory samples every fortnight to the National Institute of Virology and the National Institute of Cell Science, Pune for genetic sequencing.
2) For genetic sequencing, the Government of Maharashtra has entered into an agreement with the Institute of Genomics and Integrated Biology, a laboratory under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, to expedite the genetic sequencing survey.
