The Delta Plus variant of the coronavirus has reportedly been detected in Indonesian territory. This variant is a derivative of the Delta variant which has a high transmission rate.
This finding was confirmed by the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology. This Delta Plus or B.1.617.2.1 or AY.1 variant was detected in Jambi and Mamuju.
The Delta Plus variant is a sub-lineage of the Delta variant which was first detected in India. The Delta plus variant has a spike protein mutation called K417N, namely a protein that allows it to infect healthy cells.
Symptoms of the Delta plus variant
Several symptoms caused by this variant are dry cough, fatigue, or fever in general. Severe symptoms of this variant include shortness of breath and abdominal pain.
Covid-19 patients with Delta plus variants can also have symptoms, such as skin rashes, discoloration of toes, sore throat, anosmia, and headaches.
Indian virologists say that the Delta Plus variant has some of the same symptoms as the Delta variant and the Beta variant.
The symptoms caused by infection with the Delta Plus variant are cough, diarrhea, fever, headache, skin rash, discoloration of the fingers and toes, chest pain, and shortness of breath.
Other symptoms identified by experts regarding the Delta Plus variant are abdominal pain, nausea, and loss of appetite.
The Delta plus variant‘s risk
The Delta variant is the most contagious and dominates cases in several countries such as India, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics (INSACOG) continues to research this new variant. Based on the protein findings on the surface of this new variant, the variant has the following properties: More easily transmissible. Stronger binding to cells in the lung has the potential to decrease monoclonal antibody responses.
According to virologist Dr. Jeremy Kamil of the Louisiana State University Health Science Center, this variant affects people who have been infected at the beginning of the pandemic, people who haven’t received the vaccine or haven’t received the complete vaccine.
He added that the symptoms are not too different from the delta variant. However, due to its third nature, it runs the risk of making treatment with monoclonal antibody drugs less effective. Examples of monoclonal antibody drugs are actemra and kevzara.
Even so, there is no evidence that this variant makes the positive number of Covid-19 increase sharply. So far, the latest variant is still found in relatively fewer numbers.
