Mumbai reports first death from Delta plus variant of COVID

A woman from Mumbai, who was fully vaccinated against COVID-19, is the city’s first Delta plus variant-related fatality, reported Times of India. According to BMC, the 63-year-old woman, who had a number of underlying health conditions, had received both doses of the Covishield vaccine.

The woman died of COVID-19 at the end of July, and the presence of the Delta variant of the coronavirus was confirmed post-genome sequencing. The Delta Plus victim was tested positive for the virus on July 21 and passed away on July 27, three days after ICU stay. 

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The woman is Maharashtra’s second death case linked to Delta plus variant. In total, the state has reported 65 cases of the variant out of which 11 are in Mumbai. Her initial symptoms were dry cough, loss of taste, body ache, and headache, said BMC.

About the patient, Dr Mangala Gomare, BMC’s executive health officer said, “People shouldn’t panic but continue to wear masks and maintain physical distancing. The patient had a lot of co-morbidities and an underlying lung condition.”

The woman, who died of Delta plus variant, was suffering from interstitial lung disease and obstructive airway disease for which she was being given oxygen treatment at home before the corona infection said Gomare. Her family members are all found asymptomatic.

Also Read: Explained: The difference between the Delta and Delta Plus variants of COVID-19

According to scientists, the Delta Plus variant is a mutated version of the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus. Scientists across the world, however, are still divided on whether or not it is more contagious and dangerous. It is said to be a concerning trend in COVID-19 development.  

Delta variant, which was first detected in India and was responsible for the catastrophic second wave of COVID-19 in the country, is said to be a lung attacker and damages the organ causing the oxygen level to drop down drastically. 

Also Read: 48 Delta Plus COVID cases reported in India, highest from Maharashtra

Meanwhile, Maharashtra reported a mild rise in coronavirus infection as well as deaths on Thursday. It added 6,388 COVID-19 cases, the highest in a week, and around 200 deaths, the highest in nearly 12 days.