Mumbai records first death due to Delta Plus covid variant

Mumbai, Aug 13: A 63-year-old woman became the first covid fatality due to the Delta Plus variant of the novel coronavirus in Mumbai.

One death reported in Raigad district due to Delta Plus variant. The deceased was a 69-year-old man in Nagothane area of the district," said Raigad Collector Nidhi Chaudhary.

The woman, a resident of eastern Mumbai suburb of Ghatkopar died on July 27 while undergoing treatment in a hospital ICU. However, it was only on August 11 that the state government authorities came to know that she was infected with the Delta Plus variant which came to light in the genome sequencing report, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official said.

The woman had taken both the doses of Covishield vaccine, but tested coronavirus positive on July 21 with synonyms like dry cough, loss of taste, bodyache and headache, he said. She was put on oxygen support and given steroids and Remdesivir as part of the treatment, the official said, adding that she did not have any travel history or history of reinfection.

Six close contacts of the deceased woman have also tested coronavirus positive. After their samples were sent for whole genome sequencing, two of them were found to have been infected with the Delta Plus variant, and the result of others is awaited, he said.

Two days back, the Maharashtra government had said that as many as 20 new cases of the Delta Plus variant were detected in the state on Wednesday alone and seven of them were in Mumbai.

With this, the number of patients found infected with this variant in the state had increased to 65, said a statement issued by the health department. Out of the newly detected cases, seven were in Mumbai, three in Pune, two each in Nanded, Gondia, Raigad, Palghar, and one each in Chandrapur and Akola districts, it had said.

A total of three deaths in #Maharashtra due to Delta plus variant - one each in Ratnagiri, Mumbai and Raigad.

As many as 20 new cases of the Delta plus variant of COVID-19, considered highly infectious, were detected in Maharashtra and seven of them were in Mumbai, the state government had said.

With this, the number of patients found infected with the Delta plus variant has increased to 65, said a statement issued by the state health department.

Out of the newly detected cases, seven were in Mumbai, three in Pune, two each in Nanded, Gondia, Raigad, Palghar, and one each in Chandrapur and Akola districts, the statement said. Out of the 65 such patients found in the state so far, the highest cases, 33, were in the 19 to 45 age group and 17 in the 46 to 60 age bracket, it said.

The Delta plus variant was also found in seven children and eight senior citizens, the statement said. State health department officials are tracing and tracking the people who have recently come into contact with the patients infected with the Delta plus variant of COVID-19, it added.