India issues Omicron alert ahead of New Year as its tally crosses 101

Following the ongoing scare of the spread of the newly detected Omicron variant of COVID-19, the union government has warned against mass gatherings in the run-up to Christmas and New Year. The Union Health Ministry today informed that around 101 cases of the Omicron variant have been detected across 11 states in the country. Health […]

South Africa battles Omicron, country reports spike in hospitalisations among children

South Africa has witnessed a spike in hospitalisations among its young children days after scientists detected the omicron variant of COVID-19 last week, said doctors. Children below the age of five forms the bulk of these hospitalisations. The country is also witnessing increased positivity rates among the age group of 10 to 14. However, the […]

COVID-19: Tripura imposes weekend curfew; 138 Delta Plus variant cases detected in state

With the COVID-19 scenario taking a serious turn, the Tripura government on Saturday imposed a total weekend curfew in the state with various restrictions. The new Covid restrictions will come into effect from 12 pm on Saturday and will remain till 6 am on Monday. As the state’s Covid tally continues to rise, at least 138 […]

COVID-19: Nagaland reports 93 Delta variant cases

Nagaland Health and Family Welfare (HFW) Department on Friday said 93 cases of Delta variant of COVID-19 have been detected in the state. The fresh cases were detected from 98 samples sequenced so far. “Results of the sample for Whole Genome Sequencing sent to NIGB, Kalyani, West Bengal have been received by the HFW Department,” […]

50 cases of Delta Plus COVID-19 variant recorded in India: Govt sources

As many as 50 cases of Delta Plus variant of COVID-19 have been recorded across 11 states in India, government sources said on Friday. The Union Health Ministry, during a press conference earlier in the day, had informed that as many as 48 Delta Plus cases have been reported in the country, while the government […]

COVID-19: 40 cases of Delta Plus variant reported so far in India, say Govt sources

A total of 40 cases of Delta Plus variant of COVID-19 coronavirus has been detected in the country, government sources informed on Wednesday, adding that most of the infections were from Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. Sources said that the Delta Plus variant is still a “variant of interest”. However, according to the […]

COVID-19: Mizoram reports 4 cases of Delta variant

Mizoram has reported four cases of highly transmissible Delta variant of COVID-19, an official said on Friday. This is the first time that Delta variant cases have been detected in the northeastern state. The Delta variant has been detected in four persons, all from Aizawl district, whose samples were sent along with others to the […]

COVID-19: Manipur reports 18 cases of Delta variant

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Friday said that a number of samples sent for COVID-19 tests have been detected with the Delta variant of the Coronavirus. At least 18 samples have tested positive for the Delta variant out of the total 20 samples sent for tests. The Manipur chief minister informed that this […]

Whether Delta Plus evades pre-existing immunity better than Delta or Beta is yet to be seen, says Virologist

As the coronavirus Delta variant B.1.617.2 has further mutated to ‘Delta plus’, virologists are concerned whether this new variant will evade pre-existing immunity better than either Delta or Beta. The genome sequencing of Delta plus revealed K417N mutation in the Delta genomic background. The World Health Organisation (WHO) termed the Delta variant as a ‘variant […]