Mizoram has reported four cases of highly transmissible Delta variant (B.1.617.2) of Covid-19, an official said on Friday.
This is for the first time that Delta variant cases of COVID-19 have been detected in Mizoram.
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The Delta variant has been detected in four men, all from Aizawl district, whose samples were sent along with others to National Institute of Biomedical Genomics (NIBMG) in West Bengal in recent months, state’s spokesperson on Covid-19 Dr Pachuau Lalmalsawma said.
The patients were in the age group of 18-45 years, he said.
The new variant was confirmed by National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Friday, he said.
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According to him, three of the four patients had travel history, while one had locally contracted the infection.
All the patients have fully recovered from Covid-19, he said.
Pachuau, who is also state nodal officer of Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), said that samples were intermittently sent to NIBMG for whole-genome sequencing.
About 100 more samples will also be sent for whole genome sequencing very soon, he added.
Meanwhile, main opposition Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) alleged that as many as 10 cases of Delta variant of Covid-19 have been detected in the state so far.
Accusing the government of concealing the truth, the party said in a statement that at least 112 swab samples were sent for genome sequencing outside the state between January and March and 10 of them came out as positive for Delta variant.
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The party also alleged the Mizo National Front government headed by chief minister Zoramthanga has completely failed in its fight against Covid-19.
Denouncing the allegation, Pachuau said that only four Delta variant cases have been confirmed so far in the state by National Centre for Disease Control.
Meanwhile, a 40-year-old man from Kolasib district has succumbed to Covid-19 at Zoram Medical College (ZMC) on Friday, which took the death toll to 76, official sources said.
The victim was diagnosed with Covid-19 on June 2 and was shifted from a Covid-19 Care Centre to ZMC on June 8, it said.
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Mizoram on Friday reported 302 Covid-19 cases, taking the state’s tally to 16,437.
The state now has 3,593 Covid-19 active cases, while 12,768 people have recovered from the infection, including 138 people on Friday.
The recovery rate is 77.67 per cent and the death rate is 0.46 per cent.