New Omicron sub-variant BA.2.75 detected in more than half of samples analysed, finds Delhi hospital study

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New
Delhi,
Aug
11:
A
new
Omicron
sub-variant
has
been
detected
in
the
majority
of
samples
taken
from
Covid
patients
in
Delhi
as
part
of
a
study
at
the
LNJP
Hospital
here.
A
senior
official
of
the
hospital
on
Thursday
said
the
samples
of
these
patients
were
sent
for
genome
sequencing
and
analysed
this
week.

More
than
half
of
these
samples
have
been
detected
with
the
new
sub-variant
BA
2.75
of
Omicron,
he
said.
Doctors
at
the
2,000-bed
LNJP
Hospital,
the
largest
under
the
Delhi
government,
has
been
the
mainstay
of
the
capital’s
fight
against
the
COVID-19
pandemic
since
its
outbreak
here
in
March
2020.

Doctors
at
the
hospital,
however,
said
cases
in
which
these
sub-variant
was
detected,
the
severity
is
less
and
patients
are
recovering
faster,
within
five-seven
days.

Sources
said
the
study
involved
90
patients,
and
the
new
sub-variant
is
more
transmissible.

COVID-19
cases
have
seen
a
surge
in
the
last
two
weeks
or
so.
More
than
19,760
COVID-19
cases
in
total
have
been
recorded
in
Delhi
from
August
1-10,
according
to
official
data
shared
by
the
city
health
department
here.

Besides,
there
been
a
nearly
50
per
cent
rise
in
the
number
of
containment
zones
in
the
city
in
this
period.
Delhi
on
Wednesday
reported
eight
fatalities
due
to
coronavirus,
the
highest
in
nearly
180
days,
and
2,146
new
cases
with
a
positivity
rate
of
17.83
per
cent,
according
to
data
shared
by
the
health
department
here.

Omicron,
sub-lineages
dominant
COVID
variant
in
India;
samples
of
infectious
BA.2.75
also
found:
INSACOG

On
Tuesday,
Delhi
had
reported
2,495
new
coronavirus
cases
with
a
positivity
rate
of
15.41
per
cent
and
seven
fatalities.

Chief
Minister
Arvind
Kejriwal
had
on
Tuesday
said
Covid
cases
were
on
the
rise
in
Delhi,
but
there
was
no
need
to
panic
as
most
of
the
new
cases
were
mild
in
nature.

Despite
the
rise
in
the
positivity
rate,
the
city
government
is
not
implementing
the
graded
response
action
plan
(GRAP)
devised
by
the
Delhi
Disaster
Management
Authority
since
the
hospital
admissions
are
low.

The
GRAP
came
into
force
in
August
last
year,
stipulating
measures
to
be
taken
by
the
government
in
accordance
with
the
positivity
rate
and
bed
occupancy
for
locking
and
unlocking
of
various
activities.