After Delta Plus, Kappa variant of Covid identified in Uttar Pradesh

July 9: It seems that Covid-19 is going to stay for long as more and more variants of the deadly virus is reported off and on. After the Delta Plus variant, reports of new strain, the highly transmissible named Kappa variant of Covid-19 was now reported from Uttar Pradesh. confirmed by the King Geroge’s Medical College where the genome sequencing of 109 samples took place. Out of these 109 samples, 107 Delta Plus variant cases have been found and 2 cases of Kappa variant were reported.

Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad said, “There is nothing to worry about. This is a variant of coronavirus and its treatment is possible.” Mr Prasad, as a measure of caution, did not divulge the names of the affected districts or places of its origin.

This is not a new variant. According to the World Health Organizations’s site on tracking SARS-Cov-2, the Kappa variant was first detected in India in October 2020. The variant is identified as B.1.617.1, while Delta is represented as B.1.617.2. Like Delta, Kappa is referred to as a double mutant because of two mutations — EE484Q and L452R.