The Delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus – a mutated variant of concern with high transmissibility and severe effect on the human body – was found to be the most prevalent mutant strain in five most-affected districts of Jharkhand during random sampling done from April 1 to June 9, health officials said on Monday.

The state health department sent 364 samples of Covid-19 patients from Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Dhanbad, Hazaribagh and Palamau for Whole Genome Sequencing to the Institute of Life Sciences (ILS) in Bhubaneswar and the results showed that at least 204 of the samples were infected by the Delta variant of the coronavirus, which is said to be the reason behind the unprecedented spike in Covid cases during the second wave in India and many other countries.

The genome sequencing results showed that as many as 63 samples were infected by the Kappa variant of the virus, while 29 were infected by the Alpha variant, which was first reported in the United Kingdom. The Delta variant, which is said to be 40 per cent more transmissible than the Alpha variant, was first detected in India in late 2020.

Of the 364 samples sent for genome sequencing, at least 328 were found to be variants of concern. According to World Health Organisation (WHO), a variant of coronavirus which causes more deaths and triggers severe symptoms in patients is categorized as a variant of concern.

Of the 204 Delta variants detected in the state, 86 were from Jamshedpur, 26 from Ranchi, 32 from Dhanbad, 39 from Hazaribagh and 21 from Palamau. Of the 63 Kappa variants, 43 were from Jamshedpur, eight from Ranchi, four from Dhanbad, five from Hazaribagh and three from Palamau. As many as 29 samples were found infected by the Alpha variant and 18 of them were from Ranchi, seven from Hazaribagh and two from Palamau.

While the Delta variant of the coronavirus was found to be most prevalent among the five districts, the new Delta plus variant, reported in Maharashtra, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu were not detected in Jharkhand during the recent genome sequencing, health officials said.

“As the virus passes from one body to another, it mutates for its survival. This is how new mutant strains are formed. The Delta variant, which is a variant of concern, was found to be most prevalent in our state. However, the new Delta plus variant was not found in any of the samples sent for genome sequencing,” said Dr Siddharth Tripathi, the nodal officer of the health department’s Information, Education and Communication (IEC) wing.