60% samples contain Delta variant in Kerala: Genome study

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The latest genome study conducted in Kerala has shown that the highly contagious Delta variant is devastating districts of Kerala and is present in 90 per cent of the total samples collected in the state between May and July this year. Kerala reported 13,984 cases on Monday, August 2, with a test positivity rate of 10.93 per cent and clocked 118 deaths, taking the total to 16,955, according to the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Kerala.

Details about study – According to the study, a total of 835 samples were collected from the least affected to worst affected areas of the state and Delta variant was found in 735 samples. The study was conducted by the Institute of Genomic and Integrative Biology (IGIB), Delhi, and the state’s department of health. Samples were collected from almost all the districts and delta variant was found most prominently in samples taken from Ernakulam, Kozhikode and Malappuram districts.

The last contagious Alpha variant was widely found in many districts but later, the Delta variant spread and aggravated the situation. Dr Vinod Sacria, Principal Scientist, IGIB, said that the findings of the study point towards the need for seriously implementing virus-control measures in the state.

The study also pointed that presence of three variants- Alpha, Kappa and Delta, have been detected in the state but the presence of the Delta variant, in particular, is a cause for concern. Another study done by the state health department and Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology also found that the Delta variant is the most dominating coronavirus variant in the state.