The head of India’s Medical Education and Research Authority, Dr. Tatyarao P. Lahan, has reported twenty cases of a new strain of coronavirus, which has been named Delta Plus (B.1.617.2.1).
The infected patients were found in the Indian state of Maharashtra, Lahan said on India TV. The new strain is distinguished by the presence of the K417N mutation in the spike protein. It is able to significantly reduce the activity of antibodies in both vaccinated people and those who have been ill. The head of the Department of Medical Education and Research reports:
We found Delta Plus in Navi Mumbai, Palgar and Ratnagiri. After that, we sent more samples for analysis and are awaiting reports.
He said that 5 cases of infection with the new variant were registered in the port of Ratnagiri, while two of the infected were asymptomatic. To contain the spread of the new strain, the authorities have created special closed zones, denying access there.
Earlier, Vladimir Bolibok, a Russian allergist-immunologist, named the Moscow strain as the reason for the sharp surge in the incidence of coronavirus in June. He believes that it is necessary to develop other treatment regimens for mutated variants of COVID-19. In some regions of Russia, restrictions have been tightened due to an increase in the number of patients. Among them are the Russian capital, St. Petersburg, Buryatia, the Murmansk region, the Khabarovsk Territory.
Denis Protsenko, chief physician of the Moscow hospital in Kommunarka, called the only way to defeat the pandemic – the mandatory vaccination of the population. Vaccinologist and infectious disease specialist Yevgeny Timakov expressed a similar opinion. According to him, the situation can stabilize by August, but only if the rate of vaccination increases. He stressed that the results cannot be seen instantly, the body needs time to develop immunity.
On June 20, doctor and TV presenter Alexander Myasnikov emphasized that the coronavirus is rapidly mutating and urged people to stop “counting strains.” He assured that the vaccine protects against all variants of the virus to date.
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