Covid 3rd wave coming? 17 cases of Delta variant AY.4.2 reported in India

Amid third Covid wave scare, as many as 17 cases of the Delta variant AY.4.2 strain, which is spreading rapidly in the United Kingdom, has emerged in India. These samples were collected between May, September 2021. A total of 19,466 sequences were submitted from India to GISAID for the same time period.

A sub-lineage of the Delta variant of COVID-19, AY.4.2, has been detected in the United Kingdom, China, and Russia, and now it has made its way to India.

Several states including Andhra Pradesh have reported 07 cases of new strain, Kerala 4, Karnataka and Telangana 2 cases each, Jammu & Kashmir and Maharashtra have reported 1 case, respectively taking the total tally to 17.

The Commissionerate of Health and Family Welfare Services in Karnataka issued an official memo warning the public against the AY.4.2 strain.

“As the complete nature of the said newly reported variant is yet to be understood, it is crucial to step up vigilance & follow Covid-19 appropriate behavior instead of creating panic among the public,” the note read.