Tamil Nadu reports first death due to Coronavirus Delta Plus variant

Chennai : Tamil Nadu has reported its first death due to Delta Plus variant after a patient from Madurai succumbed to the infection, health department said on Saturday.

Minister for Medical and Family Welfare Ma Subramanian said three positive cases of the new ‘Delta Plus’ variant were identified of which two have recovered.

The two patients who have recovered from the Delta Plus variant are a 32-year-old nurse from Chennai and another individual from Kancheepuram district.

“After the death of the Madurai patient, the samples were collected, which confirmed that it was ‘Delta Plus’ variant,” the minister added.

It has also been reported that the first and secondary contact of the person have tested negative for coronavirus.

As of Friday, the Union health ministry stated that Maharashtra has reported 20 cases of ‘Delta Plus’ so far, while at least nine people in Tamil Nadu have tested positive for the new variant that has raised fears of a third wave.

Meanwhile, Union Ministry on Friday cautioned eight states and Union Territories to become extra cautious against the Delta variant.

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said the Delta Plus variant of SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in Tirupati district in Andhra Pradesh, Surat in Gujarat, Faridabad in Haryana, Katra in Jammu and Kashmir, Bikaner in Rajasthan, Patiala and Ludhiana in Punjab, Mysuru in Karnataka, Chennai, Madurai and Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu.