Delta Sub-lineage Spotted in 99% COVID Samples from Delhi in October: Report

New Delhi: At least 99% of the COVID-19 samples that were sequenced from the national capital during October, were detected with the presence of the Delta variant of the Sars-CoV-2 virus that causes coronavirus disease (Covid-19), said a latest data provided by the Delhi government. After the Indian Sars-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) was set up early this year, over 7,300 samples have been sequenced from Delhi.

As per the data released by the Delhi government, around 54% of the samples that were sequenced in April, and 82% in May had the trace of the Delta variant. And, this was when teh national capital witnessed the second wave of Covid-19 reporting over 28,000 cases in a single day at its peak. The data further revealed that 39% of the total samples sequenced during that period are of delta variant.

The Delta variant (B.1.617.2) first emerged in India during 2020 and subsequently spread globally within a short time period. As per the researchers who conducted the sequencing process of the samples, the most commonly found variant is still delta (B1.617.2) that is found in almost half the samples, followed by the AY.4 sublineage.

Dr. Ekta Gupta, Regional Head of INSACOG laboratory at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences in Delhi said, “The original delta continues to be the most common sequence, which is followed by AY4 sublineage of the delta.” Meanwhile, another scientist from the institute mentioned that even though AY4 was the most common delta sub-lineage found in Delhi, there was no clinical significance of the variant yet, which means that it is not so far known to cause more infections, more severe infections.

“The virus keeps mutating and gets re-classified, but there is no clinical significance of these variants yet. Being closely related to the original delta variant they are unlikely to affect a high number of people in Delhi, many of who have already been exposed to delta,” added Dr. Ekta.

At present, Delta Covid subvariant AY.4.2 has started causing panic among the people in India as well as over 40 other countries. As per information provided by the So far, as many as 17 cases of the Delta variant AY.4.2 strain, have emerged in India. As per data available on Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID), it includes seven in Andhra Pradesh, four in Kerala, two each in Telangana and Karnataka, and one each in Maharashtra and Jammu and Kashmir.

More than 26,000 cases of the Delta Covid subvariant AY.4.2, considered up to 15 per cent more transmissible than the original Delta, have been reported from 42 countries, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). AY.4.2 is a newly-designated Pango lineage within Delta Variant of Concern, which has three additional mutations, including two in the spike protein: A222V and Y145H.

source https://www.india.com/news/india/delta-sub-lineage-spotted-in-99-covid-samples-from-delhi-in-october-subvariant-ay-4-2-cases-5077454/