Breathe easy, B’luru: No new COVID variant, say docs

By Kumaran P | NT

Bengaluru, Nov 12:

The possibility of a new coronavirus variant caused Bengalureans a moment of anxiety after two patients were diagnosed in July this year with what was suspected to be the Delta variant AY 4.2 This variant has been a cause of concern in the U.K. However, state officials have said there is no variant and that there is no considerable spread of the virus in Bengaluru and Karnataka.
Dr M.K. Sudarshan, member of the State Technical Advisory Committee, told News Trail that the Covid-19 situation is “quite stable in the city. This is despite many mass gatherings taking place due to festivals, cultural, social and political events over the last two months. There is no new variant that is a cause for concern. We can attribute this to the good protection, seroconversion following vaccination and the silent circulation of present virus variants in the fairly immune population.”
The India SARS CoV2 Genome Consortium (INSACOG) recently said that there are no new ‘concerning’ variants on the horizon in the country. The INSACOG said that the bulk of cases in India were the Delta and related sub-variants.
Ranadeep D, commissioner for Health and Family Welfare said, “The only prevailing strain is Delta. Variant numbers are infrequent and no evidence to say it is triggering more infections.”
According to Dr Srikanta J.T. Consultant - Paediatric Interventional Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine, Aster CMI Hospital, “The Delta variants aren’t a cause for concern right now. Most adults have already finished either their first doses, or both, and things seem to be under control. It becomes more important that we don’t let the guard down and continue Covid-19 appropriate behaviour.”