Vizag on high alert as AP records its first Delta Plus variant

Visakhapatnam: Even as the people of the city heave a sigh of relief with the coronavirus infections curve showing the downward trend, the surfacing of Delta Plus case, a new variant of Covid-19 which is said to be more virulent in Tirupati is sending shivers down the spine of denizens.

With the Central government classifying it as a 'variant of concern', district administration in Visakhapatnam is considering steps to intensify its combat strategy.

As of now, the health officials mention that it is hard to figure out the severity of the new mutation, its impact on the inoculated persons, Covid-recovered patients and those with comorbidities and how dangerous the variant is going to be.

Even as the risk factors of the Delta Plus variant are expected to be high, the district administration is already bracing for the third wave. "Converting non-oxygen beds into oxygen ones in government hospitals is a step towards this direction. Visakha Institute of Medical Sciences, Rani Chandramani Devi Government Hospital and Victoria Hospital will be equipped with oxygen beds. This apart, an action plan is getting readied to study the scope for increasing oxygen beds in area hospitals as well," elaborates District Collector V Vinay Chand.

Despite 1.48 lakh cases registered in Visakhapatnam in both the first and the second waves of the pandemic, the North Andhra region has so far been safe as far as the new mutation is concerned. "Though it is still in a nascent stage, there is a need to carry out an in-depth study on the Delta Plus variant by isolating those who got infected and studying the transmissibility," explains District Covid special officer and Principal of Andhra Medical College PV Sudhakar.

In places where more such strain is recorded, a study needs to be carried out so that it works as an action plan for other States to follow suit, Dr Sudhakar informs.

Since the Delta Plus variant has already been recorded in Andhra Pradesh, the district administration considers to modify its combat strategy based on the virus virulence.

As there is a possibility of increased movement of tourists between Visakhapatnam and Tirupati, care needs to be taken to prevent the spread of the new strain by considering concrete safety protocols.