Delta variant primary cause behind India's second Covid wave: Expert panel

New Delhi: A study by The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics (INSACOG) said the Delta variant, first found in India, is the "primary cause" behind the second Covid-19 wave.

"B.1.617 variant & its lineage B.1.617.2 were primarily responsible for surge in cases with high transmissibility of 50% more than Alpha variant (B.1.1.7)," said the study.

INSACOG is a grouping of 10 National Laboratories established by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare last year. It has been carrying out genomic sequencing and analysis of circulating Covid-19 viruses, and correlating epidemiological trends with genomic variants.

Genomic variants of various viruses are a natural phenomenon and are found in almost all countries.