No worry for now, only two new Delta variant cases in Karnataka, both recovered

Bengaluru, 28 Oct 2021 [Fik/News Sources]: The Health department on Wednesday maintained that there are only two cases of AY 4.2 sublineage of the Delta variant of Covid-19 in Karnataka. Experts from the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) said this does not warrant a lockdown kind of situatin, and the people of Karnataka need not panic. They also stressed that there should be no room for complacency. “The data from Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomic Consortium (INSACOG) shows 17 samples are identified for the AY 4.2 variant in India, and Karnataka has reported two cases,” said data shared by the department of health and family welfare on Wednesday.

The note from the department says the two cases, aged 23 and 43 years, were reported from Bengaluru in July, and both patients recovered and are doing well. Meanwhile, Dr C N Manjunath, member of the Technical Advisory Committee and director, Jayadeva Hospital, told The New Indian Express, “AY 4.2 is a sub-lineage of the Delta variant and there is no need to create panic. People should not get complacent and the government should avoid any kind of gatherings. Third wave possibility cannot be ruled out, but there is no lockdown kind of situation. It is not a new variant but a sub-lineage which is under investigation. We don’t know its virulence yet. It needs to be monitored,” he explained.

However, in Karnataka, according to the daily bulletin released by the health department, the dominant variant circulating is still the Delta variant (B.1.617.2) which is found in 1,679 samples that were genome-sequenced. Delta Plus is found in more than 100 Covid-19 cases in Maharashtra and a few other states, while Karnataka has only five such cases.

“Discovery of new variants is important to monitor, but it doesn’t indicate that the new variant is going to replace Delta. All variants have mutations, but not all are alarming. In Karnataka, we have seen three sublineages — AY.4, AY.12 and AY 4.2. We have cases of Kappa (B.1.617.1), ETA (B 1.525), Alpha (B1.1.7) and Beta (B.1.351) too. Ramping up vaccination is the key, not lockdowns,” explained a senior doctor who is also a member of TAC. 

While Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar is to hold a meeting with experts of TAC on Thursday, the Karnataka government has made it mandatory for international passengers coming from countries at high Covid risk, to undergo mandatory Covid testing on arrival at all airports in Karnataka. The process of providing RT-PCR report, not less than 72 hours old, on arrival from international countries, also started from October 25. 

The health minister’s office said that all precautions are being taken. The state’s monitoring strategies are in place and there is no need for panic. People must get vaccinated and also follow Covid-appropriate behaviour, it said.