In a worrying development for the Union Health ministry, 10 new cases of Delta Plus variant of coronavirus have been detected.
It was the Maharashtra health department which reported all those cases on Monday, taking the tally in the state to 76.
As many as 6 Delta Plus patients are from Kolhapur district, three from Ratnagiri and one in Sindhudurg.
Maharashtra accounts for almost 90% of India’s Delta Plus cases, according to Union Health ministry.
Also Read: The New Threat: How Is Delta Plus Different From Delta Variant?
There have been five deaths in Maharashtra among those who have contracted the Delta Plus variant, the first being an 80-year-old woman from Ratnagiri.
A 63-year-old fully-vaccinated woman from Mumbai also succumbed to the Delta Plus variant two weeks ago.
Four types of variants are categorised as Delta Plus — AY1 (B.1.617.2.1), AY2, AY3 and one more sub-lineage.