As the fear of Covid-19 continues to grip Kerala, the latest study by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) ruled out the possibility of a new variant in the state.
CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology study claimed that the spread in Kerala is caused by the Delta variant which is seen in other parts of the country as well.
753 out of the 835 samples collected from 14 districts of Kerala turned out to be the Delta variant (B 1.617.2). The rest are existing variants.
New variants are discovered in Peru, Chile (C 37) and USA (AY 3). However, whether these are more dangerous than the Delta variant is not sure, scientists said.
CSIR co-ordinated with medical colleges, Regional Public Health Laboratories and other major institutes and surveillance teams in the state. Kerala initiated such analysis in the country, said Dr Vinod Scaria, who is part of the research team.
Randeep Guleria, Director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, had earlier said that a new variant may be causing the spread in the state.
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