Delhi COVID Surge: New BA2.75 Omicron Sub-Variant Causing Majority Infections, Escaping Immunity | Top Points

Doctors at Delhi's LNJP Hospital said cases in which these sub-variant was detected, the severity is less and patients are recovering faster, within five-seven days.

New Delhi: A new Omicron sub-variant has been detected in the majority of samples taken from COVID-19 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 BA2.75 of Omicron, he said.

“We studied which variant of omicron is currently active in Delhi. Of samples analysed, 50% were positive for BA2.75 subvariant. It’s the leading cause for infection right now, spreading faster than other variants, escaping immunity,” Dr Suresh Kumar, MD – LNJP Hospital was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

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.

Here are 10 Points for this big story on Delhi COVID cases:

1. Delhi on Friday reported 2,136 new Covid cases and 10 deaths due to the viral disease, while the positivity rate stood at 15.02 per cent, according to the health department data. This is the tenth consecutive day when the capital logged more than 2,000 cases in a day.
2. The fresh cases on Friday came out of 14,225 COVID-19 tests, according to the latest health bulletin. With this, Delhi’s infection count increased to 19,80,402 and the death toll rose to 26,367.
3. Delhi on Thursday reported 2,726 fresh COVID-19 cases, the highest in nearly six and a half months, and six fatalities due to the viral disease, while the positivity rate stood at 14.38 per cent.
4. 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.
5. Besides, there been a nearly 50 per cent rise in the number of containment zones in the city in this period.
6. 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.
7. On Tuesday, Delhi had reported 2,495 new coronavirus cases with a positivity rate of 15.41 per cent and seven fatalities.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.

(With agency inputs)