Not Omicron Or Delta, More Delta Derivatives In Mumbai Samples

It isn’t Omicron or Delta, but Delta’s descendants that are the common Covid-causing SARS-CoV-2 variants in circulation in Mumbai at the moment, according to results of BMC’s fifth genomic sequencing exercise released on Thursday.

- Malathy Iyer & Sumitra DebRoy

Mumbai: The sequencing, carried out at BMC’s genetic laboratory in Kasturba Hospital, found the Delta variant in 11% of the 221 Covid-19 patients from Mumbai studied. The remaining 89% showed Delta Plus or A.Y.x sublineages and less than 1% (two cases) had Omicron.

In the four sequencing exercises carried out since August, Delta was most dominant, accounting for 70-80% of samples. “But now Delta derivatives appear to be more in circulation in Mumbai. The clinical symptoms of positive patients bear testimony to the fact that Delta is either getting weaker or the population has developed immunity against it,” said BMC additional commissioner Suresh Kakani. None of the 221 patients died, and most of the hospitalised patients had mild symptoms.