Delta variant of COVID-19 more of a concern says AIIMS chief

New Delhi, June 26: AIIMS Chief, Dr. Randeep Guleria said that the government is closely monitoring the situation relating to COVID-19, but the delta variant is more of a concern. He said that current delta plus is not the dominant variant in India, but delta variant is the one that is of immediate concern.

"We are very closely monitoring the 'delta plus variant but at the moment delta plus is not the dominant variant in India. The delta variant is. So we need to actively track it, do genome sequencing to see how this variant is behaving in our population and prepare accordingly, Dr. Guleria said.

Initial studies say that it may be an option, but there is a need for more data. Which combination will be good needs to be researched, but there is a definite possibility, AIIMS chief Dr Randeep Guleria told NDTV on Saturday morning.

He also played down the fears that existing vaccines may be ineffective against the delta plus variant stating that more data is needed to establish the mutated strain's potential immune escape abilities. He also stressed on the importance of being vaccinated despite these fears. He said that if you are vaccinated and come in contact with the virus you may still be infected, but the severity may be much lesser.

Dr. Guleria said that a a single dose may be insufficient against delta variants. Published medical research suggests that one dose offers 33 per cent protection and two doses 90 per cent.

"It is a cause of concern that the primary dose of the vaccine may not be enough to tackle the 'delta' variant. We might need to give the booster dose much earlier to ensure better safety," he also told NDTV.