The Maharashtra Government has tightened lockdown curbs in an effort to head off the spread of the new Delta Plus variant and avert a lethal third wave. The government took the step after some 21 cases of the new Delta Plus variant emerged and infection numbers and deaths have been nudging higher in the state.
So far, one death has been attributed to the new Delta Plus variant involving an 80-year-old woman with comorbidities in the Ratnagiri district. The new lineage has been labelled a “variant of concern” by both the state and central governments.
The tighter level-three restrictions out of a five-level unlock plan have been imposed until further notice under the state government’s “break the chain” guidelines. The government said it will use positivity test results from RT-PCR tests, not less accurate rapid antigen tests, to determine the future lockdown restrictions.
Authorities have warned that a third Covid-19 wave could strike the state in the coming weeks if people fail to abide by “Covid-appropriate” behaviour.
The state government decided it could not afford to take any chances and has tightened the lockdown even though little is known about whether the new variant is more virulent.
“We are being a little cautious. We know from past experience that these things have a way of being an unpleasant surprise,” a state government official said. Ordinary shops and establishments can stay open until 4 pm on weekdays. The tighter restrictions still allow restaurants to remain open with 50 per cent capacity until 4 pm on weekdays and provide takeaways and home deliveries outside those hours.
The Maharashtra Government said it has conducted extensive testing in different districts and has sent the results of the tests for genomic sequencing to the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology. Until Friday, Maharashtra had been proceeding with a careful five-level lockdown plan that it had announced June 5.
The new variant has emerged as the number of Covid-19 cases and also deaths in states like Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have stubbornly remained at relatively high levels, even as cases in cities like Delhi have fallen sharply.
“We have learned lessons from the first and second waves,” Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said this week. The state had 19 lakh cases in the first wave and close to 40 lakh in the second.
The Centre reported 51 cases of the Delta Plus variant of Covid-19 spread across 11 states, with the maximum number of cases in Maharashtra. The government called the cases “very localised”. Delta Plus cases have been detected in the UK, the US, Portugal, China and Russia, among other countries.
Senior virologist Shahid Jameel points out that, “places have opened and now everyone is out.” He adds: “The graph of cases coming down will never be very symmetrical. The tail is always going to wag the dog. This has been the experience in other countries too.”
Scientists fear Delta Plus (B.1.617.2.1) could be a variant that’s much more infectious and severe than the aggressive Delta strain which was first detected in India and is believed to be largely responsible for the devastating second wave. There are worries that Delta Plus could be able to escape the protection from existing Covid-19 vaccines and be immune to certain drugs.
Jameel says vaccination still remains the “safest bet” to end the pandemic. “We have to vaccinate, wear masks. It comes down to individual choice and public policy.”
Jameel adds there is one genomic mutation every 11 days. “The new Delta Plus lineage could be minor,” he said. But he added that in Maharashtra’s case, it was clearly a case of “once bitten, twice shy.
While India’s immunisation rollout has surged, experts say it may not be enough to avert a third wave nationwide with many more vaccine doses needed and delivery hurdles. After vaccinating a record more than 8 million people Monday, the country vaccinated 6.5 million people Friday, including 364,322 in Bengal.
Says Health Economist Rijo M. John: “Kerala definitely seems to have entered into a higher plateau with the cases staying pretty constant around 12,000 for the past several days and the situation in Maharashtra is not much different.” He adds: “It could be also a matter of better reporting. No-one is quite sure.”
India reported 51,225 fresh Covid cases Friday of which Maharashtra contributed 9,844. The Maharashtra case figure is up from 7,652 nine days ago. New cases in Tamil Nadu stood at 6,162 and 12,078 in Kerala. New deaths stood at 1,324 out of which 556 were in Maharashtra,155 in Tamil Nadu and 136 in Kerala. Covid claimed 41 lives in Bengal Friday.
