Maharashtra: 5 Die Of COVID-19 Delta-Plus Variant, 66 Infected

Mumbai: Five people, including one from Mumbai, have lost their lives and 66 others have been infected with the deadly Delta Plus variant of COVID-19 in Maharashtra till date. However, some of them are fully vaccinated and seven were under 18 years of age, according to the state health department on Friday.

The highly infectious COVID-19 Delta Plus variant was found during genome sequencing of swab samples sent from different parts of Maharashtra.

According to a civic official, a 63-year-old fully vaccinated woman died in Mumbai after getting infected in July last week, which was the first death due to the Delta Plus variant.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official said that after the death of the woman, two of her family members were also found infected with the Delta Plus variant.

Another woman from Mumbai’s suburban Ghatkopar area died in the ICU of a hospital on July 27. The authorities said that she was found to be infected with the Delta Plus variant after the genome sequencing report came on August 11.

The deceased woman had taken both doses of the Covishield vaccine, but tested COVID positive on July 21, the civic official said.

According to a statement from the health department, a 50-year-old Thane woman was found COVID-19 positive on July 22 and her report on Friday revealed that she was infected with the Delta Plus variant. She had mild symptoms and she has since recovered.

Among the five deaths due to the COVID’s Delta Plus variant, two were from Ratnagiri district and one each from Raigad, Beed and Mumbai, the health department was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

However, 13 patients infected with the Delta Plus variant belong to Jalgaon in north Maharashtra followed by Ratnagiri at 12 and Mumbai at 11, said the health department.

According to the health department, Thane and Pune districts had six patients each, three each from Palghar and district, two each from Nanded and Gondia, one each from Chandrapur, Akola, Sindhudurg, Sangli, Nandurbar, Aurangabad, Kolhapur and Beed.

“80 per cent of the samples sent for genome sequencing had tested positive for the Delta plus variant (of coronavirus). Of the 66 Delta Plus patients, 33 were in the 19 to 45 age group, 18 in the 46 to 60 age group, eight were aged over 60 age and seven were under 18,” the statement added.

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