UAE: What you need to know about the Delta Plus Covid-19 variant

The Delta Plus variant could be a potential candidate to cause a new Covid wave, says Dr Ayaz Ahmed an internal medicine specialist at Aster Cedars Hospital.

“We should not let our guard down and continue to follow guidelines and precautions advised by the health authorities in the UAE,” Dr Ahmed added.

Delta Plus is a new variant or mutation of the Covid-19 virus. “It is a sub-lineage of Delta variant first detected in India and has acquired spike protein mutation called K417N.”

There are at least two separate groups of the variant, and these are known as AY.1 and AY.2. The first of these, AY.1, appears to be the most globally widespread.

The delta variant provoked a sudden surge in India before spreading outside its borders. Its mutation, Delta Plus, is now worrying global experts and the news is dominating headlines across the world.

However, although it has not been detected in the UAE yet, it should not make residents and citizens in the country complacent.

What leads to mutation in viruses?

“All viruses evolve over time. When virus replicates or make copies of itself, it changes a bit, and these changes are called mutations. Consequently, viruses with new mutations are called variants," explains Dr Priya Bharat Mahale, an internal medicine specialist at Prime Medical Center, Jumeirah branch.

"The World Health Organization recognised the B.1.617.2 strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus as the ‘Delta’ variant, but now, this Delta variant has further mutated itself to form the ‘Delta Plus’ or the ‘AY.1’ variant.”

What makes Delta Plus a ‘variant of concern’?

The three basic traits of the Delta Plus variant as stated by the Health Department are:

1. The Delta Plus variant is highly communicable and will transmit easily.

2. It sticks firmly to the receptors of the cells of the lungs.

3. It resists the monoclonal antibody treatment process.

“At the moment, this variant does not seem to be common, currently accounting for only a small fraction of the delta sequences. But Delta and other circulating variants of concern remain a higher public health risk as they have demonstrated increases in transmission,” says Dr Mahale.

These factors are raising concerns that the K417N mutation could dent vaccine protection, or immunity gained from previous infection with an older form of the virus.

“There is an evidence of an increase in transmissibility, more severe disease (e.g. increased hospitalisation or deaths), significant reduction in neutralisation by antibodies generated during previous infection or vaccination, reduced effectiveness of treatments or vaccines, or diagnostic detection failures,” explains Dr Safdar Zabeth, a general practitioner at Medcare Medical Centre, Discovery Gardens.

"Moreover, the Indian Council of Medical Research is studying the efficacy of vaccines on the Delta plus variant and results may be available soon.”

• Dubai