Samples of 60 coronavirus-infected persons from Indore district of Madhya Pradesh have been sent to Delhi for genome sequencing in the wake of at least eight cases of the Delta Plus variant being reported in the state, an official said on Sunday.
“We have sent samples of 60 infected persons to the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in two slots for genome sequencing,” Dr Sanjay Dixit, dean of the government-run Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, told PTI. No case of Delta Plus variant has been found in the district so far, he said, adding that genome sequencing is aimed at finding out the type of the variant. In Indore district, which has a population of 35 lakh, a total of 1.52 lakh people have tested positive for COVID-19 till now, of whom 1,390 have succumbed to the infection.
Madhya Pradesh Medical Education Minister Vishvas Sarang had earlier said that at least eight cases of Delta Plus variant have been found in the state so far. Of them, two patients – one each at Ujjain and Ashok Nagar districts – have died, officials said.
