(VOVWORLD) - The Delta Plus variant, a new mutant version of the Delta strain of coronavirus first detected in India, has been found in 22 patients in Maharashtra, Kerala, and Madhya Pradesh and is a "variant of concern," the Indian government said on Tuesday. India is just emerging from its deadly second wave of Covid.
 COVID-19 testing in Amritsar, India (Photo: Xinhua/VNA) |
The concern stems from the fact that very little is known about this strain, which is now in nine countries – India, the US, the UK, Portugal, Switzerland, Japan, Poland, Russia and China. Like the Delta strain, which has now spread to 80 countries, Delta Plus appears to be highly infectious and fast-spreading.
Portugal, in particular, is concerned about the potential of a fourth wave of the epidemics. The Delta strain now accounts for more than 60% of new cases in the capital Lisbon.
As of Wednesday, the world had recorded nearly 180 million COVID-19 cases and 3.9 million fatalities. The US is still the most severely affected country, followed by India and Brazil. Latin America and the Caribbean have recorded more than 1.2 million fatalities. Europe is second, with almost 1.1 million fatalities, followed by North America, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Oceania.