Coronavirus cases: 'Delta Plus' variant of coronavirus found in Madhya Pradesh

Bhopal, June 17: A 65-year-old woman has tested positive for the new "Delta Plus" variant of coronavirus here, official sources said on Thursday. The development came even as the second wave of the pandemic is waning in Madhya Pradesh and restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of the infection are being eased.

According to officials, the samples of the woman, who lives near a big medical facility, were collected on May 23. Reports received from the National Central for Disease Control (NCDC) on Wednesday said she was positive for the Delta Plus' variant.

The woman, who has taken two shots of anti-coronavirus vaccine, recovered in home isolation, sources added. When contacted, Medical Education Minister Vishwas Sarang confirmed that a woman tested positive for a "different variant", but did not elaborate.

The state has not lowered its guard against COVID-19 and testing has not decreased even when the number of new cases is dipping, he said. "We are sending samples for genome sequencing to laboratories and NCDC," added the minister.

According to some reports, the highly infectious Delta variant (B.1.617.2) of COVID-19 that was first found in India is feared to have mutated into Delta Plus variant.