Mumbai records first death from Delta Plus Covid-19 variant

The city has recorded its first death due to the Delta Plus variant of Covid-19. A 63-year-old woman patient who was fully vaccinated, according to the civic body, succumbed to the infection.

The Delta Plus (AY.1) is a mutation of the highly transmissible Delta variant of Sars-CoV-2 (B.1.617.2) and was detected in the state during the devastating second wave. In June, the union health ministry declared it as variant of concern.

According to initial information provided by the civic health officials, the deceased patient was a resident of the eastern suburbs. She had several comorbidities, including diabetes. She was one of seven patients in the city who recently tested positive for the Delta Plus variant.

According to a civic official, the patient, who was vaccinated with Covishield, was detected with Covid-19 on July 21. She had dry cough, loss of taste and body ache. She was admitted to ICU on July 24. She was on oxygen support and was administered steroids and remdesivir, but died on July 27. “The patient had lung disease and obstructive airway disease, for which she was taking oxygen treatment at home before the Covid-19 infection. She didn’t have any travel history,” said an official.

Six of her family members have also been found Covid-19 positive. Two of them have been detected with the Delta Plus variant after genome sequencing.

The death takes the state’s toll due to Delta Plus to two. Last month, an 80-year-old woman from Ratnagiri became the first Covid-19 patient in the state to succumb to the with Delta Plus variant of the infection.

The senior citizen died on June 13 and her genome sequencing report, which identified her as infected with AY.1, was submitted to the state health department on June 20.

At present, the total figure of Delta Plus variants in Mumbai has increased to 11 from one in June. Of the latest seven patients identified with Delta Plus variant, three were fully vaccinated, while one had only taken the first shot.

“Majority of the seven newly identified patients belong to the 17-38 common age group. All seven are female,” said Dr Mangala Gomare, executive health officer, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Amid growing cases of Delta Plus in the state, which currently stands at 65, medical experts stressed the need to ramp up vaccination. “What experience from across the world has consistently shown us is that when rates of vaccination are high, even if variants cause surges in infections, such infections tend to be of a milder nature and do not cause hospitalisations or deaths on a large scale. We also need to do our best to limit crowds, as overcrowding has consistently led to spread over the past 18 months,” said Dr Lancelot Pinto, a pulmonologist and epidemiologist from Hinduja Hospital.