According to state health minister Raghu Sharma, cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) due to the Kappa variant have been detected in Rajasthan, following Uttar Pradesh. According to Sharma, the Kappa Covid-19 variant has been detected in 11 cases across the state, with three cases each in Jaipur and Alwar, two in Barmer, and one in Bhilwara.
Nine samples from Delhi tested positive for the Kappa strain, while two samples from Jaipur’s Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital tested positive, says Raghu Sharma.
Previously, Uttar Pradesh reported two incidences of this variant, with genome sequencing of 109 samples at Lucknow’s King George’s Medical College yielding positive results for the Kappa variant in two samples and the Delta variant in the remaining 107 samples. Both Delta (also known as the B.1.617.2 strain) and Kappa (also known as B.1.617.1) were discovered in India for the first time.
Dr VK Paul, a member of the NITI Aayog, clarified last week that Kappa is a “variant of interest” (VoI), adding that it is not a new variety because cases had been documented in the country before. Kappa, according to Dr Paul, has a “far lower intensity” and was first recorded in February and March of this year.
On the Covid-19 front, Rajasthan recorded 28 new illnesses on Tuesday, but no new deaths from the virus, according to a health department bulletin. With this, the total number of coronavirus infections in the western state has climbed to 953,187, with 943,629 recoveries, 8,945 deaths, and 613 current cases.
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