INDIA. Mumbai: Although fully vaccinated for coronavirus, a 63-year-old woman, infected with its Delta plus variant, died, making it the first such death in Mumbai, even as the death toll due to the Delta plus, reached five in Maharashtra on Friday.
The woman had several comorbidities, including diabetes. She was one of seven patients in the city who recently tested positive for the Delta Plus variant, according to initial information provided by the BMC health officials. She was given the remdesivir and steroid and was on oxygen support. However, she could not survive. Residing at Ghatkopar in an Eastern suburb, she was fully vaccinated against the virus. However, she was suffering from some other ailments too. The genome sequencing proved that she died of Delta plus variant, BMC officials said.
Two deaths were reported from Ratnagiri while Mumbai, Beed, and Raigad reported one death each due to the Delta Plus variant on Friday. Two of the patients had been fully vaccinated with Covishield.
Besides the woman in Mumbai, a 69-year-old man in the Nagothane area of Raigad district died of Delta Plus variant on Friday. The Ratnagiri had recorded the first death due to the Delta Plus variant when an 80-year-old woman from Sangmeshwar, became the first COVID-19 patient in the state to succumb to the Delta Plus variant, in June. Six members of her family were found corona positive. On Friday, one more death was reported from Ratnagiri.
The number of Delta Plus patients which was 45 on August 08 shot to 66 on Friday. The 21 patients added to the list included: Mumbai-07, Pune-03, two each in Nanded, Gondia, Raigad, and Palghar. One each in Thane, Chandrapur and Akola. Out of the 66 such patients found in the state so far, 33, are in the 19 to 45 age group and 18 in the 46 to 60 age bracket.
The Delta Plus (AY.1) is a mutation of the highly transmissible Delta variant of Sars-CoV-2 (B.1.617.2). It was detected in Maharashtra during the second wave of coronavirus. The Union health ministry declared it as a variant of concern in July. Amid growing cases of Delta Plus in Maharashtra, which currently stands at 66, medical experts have stressed the need to ramp up the COVID-19 vaccination process.
