The Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 was the main circulating strain in Chandigarh during the recent second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) said on Monday.
The director of the institute, Jagat Ram, also advised people to adhere to Covid appropriate behaviour and opt for vaccination to break the infection's chain of transmission, and halt the impending threat of a third wave.
"To study whether there was any change in the circulating strain in the Union Territory of Chandigarh during the second wave, 25 stored positive samples of the period -- 05.05.2021 to 24.05.2021 -- were sent for whole genome sequencing to the NCDC (National Centre for Disease Control) in New Delhi," he said
Ninety-two per cent of these samples belonged to residents of Chandigarh, Ram said. "During the second wave, the Delta variant (B.1.617.2) and Alpha variant (B.1.1.7) were found to be present among 61 percent and 30 per cent of the samples respectively which were sent for whole genome sequencing to the NCDC," he said.
The department of virology at the institute has been carrying out Covid testing through RT-PCR since March 2020 and till date, more than 2.5 lakh samples have been tested, Ram said. Dean for academics, G D Puri, said that fortunately no case of the Delta plus variant was reported in the samples sent.
Ram said that a major sign of relief is the cooling down of the second wave and the total tally of positive patients is low in Chandigarh. But still, there is no room for complacency, he said.