New mutation of variant of concern detected in India and experts are calling it 'Delta plus'

A new Covid-19 variant of concern has been detected in India, according to health chiefs.
Andrew Quinn
By Andrew Quinn
Published 22nd Jun 2021, 20:15 BST
Updated 22nd Jun 2021, 20:28 BST
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Named 'Delta-plus', this latest variant is a mutation of the 'Delta' variant or B.1.617.2 which has been detected in all 11 district council areas of Northern Ireland

This 'Delta-plus' variant is technically called B.1.617.2.1 or AY.1.

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What separates 'Delt-plus' from the original 'Delta' variant is that 'Delta-plus' contains the mutation K417N which was first detected in the South African/Beta variant in 2020.

Some experts are concerned the mutation of the original 'Delta' variant could mean 'Delta-plus' is more adept at escaping vaccines andSome experts are concerned the mutation of the original 'Delta' variant could mean 'Delta-plus' is more adept at escaping vaccines and
Some experts are concerned the mutation of the original 'Delta' variant could mean 'Delta-plus' is more adept at escaping vaccines and

The details concerning 'Delta-plus' are few at present but some experts believe because it has all of the characteristics of the original 'Delta' variant as well as the K417N mutation, it is possible that 'Delta-plus' could be more transmissible but perhaps more concerning, is that it could potentially bypass vaccines and antibodies generated by a previous infection.

Public Health England (PHE) says there have been 41 confirmed cases of 'Delta-plus' detected in the United Kingdom - it is not yet known if any of 41 confirmed cases are in Northern Ireland.

A total of 2,155 Covid related deaths have occurred in Northern Ireland and 125,084 individuals have tested positive for the virus since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020.

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Related topics:IndiaPublic Health EnglandNorthern Ireland

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