COVID-19: Variants of Concern found in 174 districts

Variants of Concern of SARS-CoV2 have been found in 174 districts in 35 states and union territories in the country with the highest numbers in Maharashtra, Delhi, Punjab, Telangana, West Bengal and Gujarat, the Union health ministry said on Wednesday.

Variants of Concern of SARS-CoV2 have been found in 174 districts in 35 states and union territories in the country with the highest numbers in Maharashtra, Delhi, Punjab, Telangana, West Bengal and Gujarat, the Union health ministry said on Wednesday. The Variants of Concern (VOC) detected by the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) in community samples are Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta. B.1.617.2.1 (AY.1) or commonly known as Delta Plus variant which signifies Delta variant with an additional mutation.

The B.1.617 lineage, first observed in Maharashtra, was associated with the unusual rise observed in several districts of the state. It is now found in many states in India, the health ministry said. INSACOG is a national multi-agency consortium of Genome Sequencing Laboratories (RGSLs) laboratories.