Maharashtra identifies 45 cases of Delta Plus variant, three in Pune district

State health minister Rajesh Tope said cases of Delta Plus variant had increased, but there was no need to worry.

3 min readPuneUpdated: Aug 9, 2021 09:46 AM IST

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The state’s peak active caseload – 698,354 – was recorded on April 25 this year. (Express photo by Amit Chakravarty)

Genomic surveillance by the state health department has identified 45 cases of Covid-19 caused by Delta Plus variant, across Maharashtra, with 13 in Jalgaon and 11 in Ratnagiri districts. Three cases have been detected in Pune, five in Thane and six in Mumbai. Remaining cases have been detected with one each in Sangli, Kolhapur, Sindhudurg, Palghar, Aurangabad, Kolhapur and Beed districts.

Out of the 45 cases, 27 people infected with Delta Plus variant are male while the remaining are female. A total of 20 people infected by this variant are in the age group 19 to 45, 14 between the age group of 46 and 60, six children are aged below 18 and five are aged above 60.

State health minister Rajesh Tope said cases of Delta Plus variant had increased, but there was no need to worry. Tope said immediate measures, such as travel history of the person, vaccination status and focus on contact tracing and testing, were being taken.

“So far, we have information on 34 out of 45 cases infected with Delta Plus variant and, barring one death, most are stable and have a mild form of the disease,” state surveillance officer Dr Pradeep Awate told The Indian Express.

“At present, it does not seem a worrisome situation as there has not been an increase in the transmission rate,” Dr Awate said.

He said surveillance, however, was critical, and that the Covid positivity rate was still high in some pockets of Pune district. While two cases of Delta Plus variant were from Purandar tehsil and one from Chakan area in Pune district, there was not much transmission of the variant in the immediate locality, he added.

“Even as we relax restrictions and open up, we should be concerned about rural areas in Pune district as there is high positivity in some pockets and, hence, there has to be aggressive testing,” Dr Awate said.

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Delta Plus variant, also known as B.1.617.2.1 or AY.1, contains a mutation in the spike protein that the virus uses to enter human cells; it is called K417N. So far, Delta Plus has been found in low numbers. Till August 4, there were 83 cases of the variant in the country.

While initially, to monitor variants of SARS-CoV-2 virus, genomic sequencing was being conducted at Pune’s National Institute of Virology, a centre was soon set up by Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomic Consortium in December last year with a network of 28 laboratories.

In Maharashtra, every district sends 100 random samples for genome sequencing as part of a collaboration with CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology with the state government.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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