As the nation continues to get rid of the Delta Plus variant of Covid-19, another strain of the contagious infection has been detected during the genome sequencing exercise in Uttar Pradesh.
After reporting two cases of Delta Plus variant in Deoria and Gorakhpur, a patient has now tested positive for the Kappa strain of the Covid-19 infection.
The patient (66) has been identified as a resident of Sant Kabir Nagar, who succumbed to the infection in the month of June.
His sample was collected on June 13 as a routine and sent to CSIR's Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, New Delhi that has confirmed the Kappa strain in the sample.
Like Delta plus, Kappa strain has been declared as a variant of concern.
Head of the microbiology department at BRD Medical College, Amresh Singh said the patient had tested Covid positive on May 27 and was brought to the medical college on June 12.
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The sample was taken on June 13.
"The patient died in the course of treatment on June 14. He had no travel history," Singh said.
Health officials said more than 2,000 samples have been sent for genome sequencing from the state.
Two cases of Delta Plus strain were recorded for the first time in Uttar Pradesh this week.
Officials said that since none of the three patients had a travel history, it suggests the virus was mutating in the state.