Delta Plus pushes Maharashtra back to strict restriction-mode

New orders with revised parameters for unlocking are expected to be released by Thursday morning. Representation pic

Owing to the threat of the more virulent Delta Plus variant, the government is likely to go back to uniform restrictions across the states instead of the current policy of unlocking, which is based on the availability of oxygenated beds and the test positivity rate. On Wednesday, the state Cabinet was shown a presentation on the new variant. Chief secretary Sitaram Kunte read out a letter from the Centre which has asked the state to treat Delta Plus as a ‘variant of concern'.

So far, 21 cases of the new variant have been found across seven districts, with coastal Ratnagiri topping the list.

The cabinet expressed serious concern when it was told that Delta Plus escapes antibodies, thus making vaccinated people vulnerable. Reinfection can also occur despite antibodies that the recovered Covid-19 patient may have developed.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray

The focus has now shifted to the unlock management, which has lifted curbs in several districts based on prescribed parameters and weekly reviews. Mumbai hasn't upgraded to the next level of unlock despite qualifying for it, but other places are back to normal with people giving utter disregard to Covid-19 appropriate behaviour.

A source said Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray hasn't been very happy with the weekly review system and wants the old one back to implement restrictions, if possible more stringent ones, uniformly across the state. The new orders with revised parameters for unlocking were expected to released by Thursday morning.

Centre, State in touch

The Centre has asked the state to be extra vigilant since the variant spreads faster and affects people more than the Delta variant. The Centre is being informed about the development on a regular basis.

The Cabinet was also informed about the current status of the pandemic in general on Wednesday. Delta Plus is also the reason for reducing next month's Monsoon legislative session to two days from a full-length affair, the government said.

"Though Delta Plus hasn't fully replaced Delta and its presence isn't significant as of now, we're on high alert. It is because the transmission rate is higher than the previous variant. It is highly virulent and escapes antibodies," said Tope, adding that, fortunately, none of the Delta Plus patients in Maharashtra died because of infection.

The state is updating the Centre about the new variant on a regular basis

According to the minister, the index cases are under close watch though most of them have been discharged. The active cases are in isolation and being observed carefully. Their travel history and vaccination record are noted and re-infection, if any, is also reported. "The contacts - both high and low risk - have been traced or are being traced. Their samples will also be sent for the whole genomic sequencing," said the minister.

It was the whole genomic sequencing that the consortium of laboratories participated in and helped find the Delta Plus variant. A hundred samples from each district were sent for sequencing.

About the overall pandemic situation, the minister said the state has plateaued at 8,000 cases per day from the peak of 65,000, but it isn't very encouraging because the number still isn't reducing as expected. "We're at the 15th place in per million cases. The daily 8,000 number has been constant for the past week. The number should dip further," he said.

No manpower for polls

The Cabinet has decided to tell the State Election Commission that it would be unable to provide manpower for holding the by-elections of the local self-government bodies in which the Other Backward Class (OBC) seats have been scrapped by the apex court. The SC had told SEC to conduct elections. The dates in July have been announced. But the OBCs are up in arms against the decision and the government's inaction in presenting the case in the court. Protests have been organised and the BJP met the Governor to seek his intervention. The Cabinet discussed the issue and as a feasible solution, decided to deny SEC manpower in view of the pandemic.

100
No. of samples that were tested from every district for Delta Plus

07
No. of districts where Delta Plus has been found