Delta Still Dominates In City, Reveals BMC's Genome Lab

Mumbai: The Delta variant, which caused the mega second Covid wave, continues to be the dominant strain in circulation in Mumbai, with no trace of the Delta-plus variant so far, said BMC officials on Thursday.

These findings are based on the second round of genomic sequencing carried out in the BMC’s new laboratory inaugurated on August 4. While 376 positive Covid samples from public and private hospitals were analysed in the second round, 188 samples were analysed in the first round.

Of the 376 samples in the second round, 304 were found to have the Delta variant and none with Delta-plus. Analysis of the first round samples showed Delta had caused breakthrough infection in 50% of the 93 Mumbaikars diagnosed with the Delta variant; only four of the 27 fully vaccinated patients needed oxygen support (see box).