The delta variant – identified as B.1.617.2 – of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is considered to be the most contagious that has emerged so far. This variant turned out to be the main reason for the increase in Covid-19 cases in the second wave of pandemics.
According to reports, doctors around the world are now trying to find out whether the Delta variant discovered in India is also the most severe.
The World Health Organization (WHO) categorized it as a variant of concern (VOC) last month. WHO said it was more dominant than the alpha variant discovered in the UK last year.
Unknown symptoms of great concern
Some atypical symptoms such as hearing loss, severe stomach upset, and blood clots leading to gangrene have been reported in Covid-19 patients infected with the Delta variant.
In addition to alpha, the other variants beta and gamma – which were first discovered in South Africa and Brazil, respectively – caused few or no such symptoms last month, according to a study by researchers at the University of New South Wales.
The delta variant was reported from over 60 countries. In the UK, the Delta variant leads to hospital admissions of Covid-19 patients more than before. Some experts suspect that the Covid-19 vaccines also have a reduced effectiveness against the Delta variant, which leads to higher risks.
According to an NDTV report, a study by an Indian government body found that the Delta variant is 50 percent more contagious than the Alpha variant. In some reports, the Sars-2 variant, B.1.617.2, is the driving force behind the devastation seen in India during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We need more scientific research to analyze whether these newer clinical presentations are related to B.1.617 or not. Last year we thought we heard about our new enemy, but it has changed,” the report quoted as saying Infectious Disease Doctor Abdul Ghafur at Apollo Hospital in Chennai.
Blood clots worsen the situation
Doctors and medical professionals also agree that the increase in hospital patients is also due to the blood clots that the Delta variant caused in the chest of an infected person with no history of clotting-related problems.
Doctors have also noted cases of blood clots forming in blood vessels that supply the intestines, causing stomach pain in patients.
“I’ve seen three to four cases all last year, and now it’s one patient a week. We suspect it might be because of the new virus variant,” Ganesh Manudhane, a Mumbai-based cardiologist, told the news.
The alarming rate at which the Delta variant is infecting children has also worried medical professionals. During India’s second wave, doctors said they saw more cases of household transmission rather than a single transmission, which was more common last year.
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