‘Delta’ among several coronavirus variants found in Varanasi

Study by CCMB and BHU found that the B.1.617.2 variant was found among 36% of the total samples; the B.1.351, detected in South Africa for the first time, was also found in this area

CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad and Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi have collaboratively sequenced genomes of coronavirus variants in Varanasi and adjoining areas and have come across at least seven major strains of coronavirus circulating in these regions, including B.1.617 and B.1.617.2 or the ‘Delta variant’. The multidisciplinary research unit headed at BHU collected samples from Varanasi and areas around the city, mostly in April earlier this year and the CCMB team had sequenced 130 samples. “The most predominant variant we found in our study was B.1.617 among the Variants of Concern (VoC). This variant was also reported to be one of the major drivers of the second COVID-19 wave in India”, said Prof Singh, who heads BHU research unit on Friday.