Health dept to ramp up tests at places with Delta+ reports: Pune

Pune: The state public health department officials on Tuesday stressed on ramping up the Covid-19 testing in the areas reporting Delta-Plus cases.

State surveillance expert Dr Pradeep Awate said testing would have to be improved in Amravati, Bhandara, Yavatmal and Gadchiroli districts, from where Delta-Plus cases emerged.

Of the 27 new Delta-Plus cases, six each were reported from Amravati and Gadchiroli, five from Nagpur, four from Ahmednagar, two from Nashik and one from Bhandara. “Most of these districts have been testing between 1,000 and 4,000 samples in a week. There is a need to ramp up testing there after the detection of Delta-Plus variant cases,” said a public health official.

Awate said the usual testing, contact tracing and early treatment, along with vaccination, were the key to address the Delta-Plus variant cases. “The genomic surveillance is helping us gather the necessary epidemiological details and prevent the spread of the Delta-Plus variant. Besides, contact tracing and early testing and treatment are keeping the cases under control,” he told TOI, adding that there was no active Delta-Plus variant case in the state at present.