What is Delta-plus?
New variant, also called Delta Plus or AY.01
Ministry of HFW on Tuesday 22June 21 declared the Delta plus a 'variant of concern.
How is it different from the Delta variant?
corona the nasty virus is busy taking on mutations
The B.1.617 lineage
◆ (B.1.617.2) Delta Double mutant
–two key mutations, called E484Q and L452R.
–VOC responsible for second wave
◆(B.1.617.1)Kappa VOI
◆(B.1.617.3),being monitored
◆ Delta-plus
–Further modification in
B.1.617.2 Delta variant.
–K417N spike protein mutation
–mutation is on the tip of the spike, helping it bind more tightly to human cells
Note:
K417N mutation is also seen in South African variant Beta( B.1.351)and Brazil variant Gamma(P.1)
So 
Delta Plus becomes a dirty mix of Beta (gamma) and Delta
Triple Mutant
Will it have immune escape?
Are Vaccines effective against Delta plus?
Data from UK till early June
-
the 36 Delta-plus cases identified till early June,
-
at least 18 were not vaccinated.
-
Among 18 who were vaccinated, only two had received both shots more than 14 days before infection
-No deaths amongst the 36 cases.
Effect of Monoclonal Antibodies?
Early "evidence of the Delta-plus variant’s “resistance to monoclonal antibodies Casirivimab and Imdevimab”–CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB).
Where has the Delta-plus variant spread?
WORLDOVER
Till 7 June, 63 Delta-plus genomes had been identified on the GISAID worldwide repository.
-6 from India,
-9 from Poland,
-12 from Portugal and
-14 from the US.
LATELY CASES also found in,
- UK, Switzerland, Japan, Nepal, China and Russia
Indian Scenario with Delta Plus
16 of the 22 cases of Delta plus variant have been found in Ratnagiri and Jalgaon in Maharashtra
-some in Kerala and Madhya Pradesh.
Will it drive the third wave?
Variant of Concern. But too early to say. Virus is constantly mutating …
Where did Delta plus Originate?
Nepal
First samples of this variant isolated in Europe in March. Later health authorities in England found it in in April end in patients who were contacts of individuals who had travelled from Nepal and Turkey"
Key mutation that marks out the Delta-plus variant from the original Delta variant — called the K417N mutation — was first identified in Nepal.