5 cases of COVID-19 'Delta Plus' variant in Madhya Pradesh; 1 dead
Bhopal: Five persons have so far been found infected with the 'Delta Plus' variant of coronavirus in Madhya Pradesh and one of them has died, state Medical Education Minister Vishwas Sarang said on Thursday.
The other four persons, who were vaccinated against COVID-19, are fine, he told PTI.
"One person from Ujjain, who died, was not inoculated, he said. 'Delta Plus' has been declared a variant of concern by the Centre.
So far, three persons from Bhopal and two from Ujjain have been found infected with the 'Delta Plus' variant in MP, the minister said.
A genome sequencing machine will soon be installed in Bhopal and the state would then not have to send samples to Delhi, he added.
Ujjain Collector Ashish Singh confirmed that a 59-year-old woman, who died of COVID-19 on May 23, was infected with the 'Delta Plus' variant.
She tested positive for coronavirus on May 17. Later, her sample was sent for genome sequencing. On Tuesday, it was found that she was infected by the 'Delta Plus' variant, the official said.
Earlier, the sample of a 65-year-old woman from Bhopal was sent to the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on May 23 and it came out positive for the 'Delta Plus' variant on June 16, officials said.
The woman, who had received both doses of the anti-COVID-19 vaccine, recovered in home isolation, they said.
The new 'Delta Plus' variant has been formed due to a mutation in the Delta or B.1.617.2 variant, first identified in India and one of the drivers of the deadly second wave.
Though there is no indication yet of the severity of the disease due to the new variant, 'Delta Plus' is resistant to the monoclonal antibody cocktail treatment for COVID-19 recently authorised in India
On Wednesday, Madhya Pradesh recorded 84 new cases of coronavirus and 21 fatalities, raising the tally of infections in the state to 7,89,499 and the death toll to 8,827, as per official data.
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Kohli's U-19 teammate Amanpreet Singh Gill dies at 36
New Delhi (PTI): Former India U-19 and Punjab medium pacer Amanpreet Singh Gill died at the age of 36 in Chandigarh on Wednesday, leaving the cricket fraternity in mourning.
The cause of death is not yet known.
Gill, who was Virat Kohli's U-19 teammate, featured in six first-class matches for Punjab, picking up 11 wickets.
He was also part of the Punjab franchise (Kings XI Punjab) in the inaugural Indian Premier League season, and later served as a member of Punjab's senior selection committee.
"Punjab Cricket Association deeply mourns the sad demise of Amanpreet Singh Gill, former Punjab cricketer and Member, Senior Selection Committee Punjab,” the Punjab Cricket Association announced on X.
"Our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and loved ones. May Waheguru grant eternal peace to the departed soul and strength to the family in this difficult time."
Two-time World Cup-winning India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh also paid tribute to Gill.
"Deeply saddened to hear about Amanpreet Singh Gill’s passing. Shared the dressing room in our early days, he was a quiet, hardworking cricketer who loved the game. My heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones. Rest in peace Om Shanti,” Singh posted on X.
Gill played five Youth ODIs and one Youth Test for India in 2007.
In the longer format, he claimed the wicket of former Sri Lanka all-rounder Thisara Perera.
However, he did not make the Virat Kohli-led India U-19 side that went on to win the 2008 World Cup.
“Deeply saddened by the passing of Amanpreet Singh Shergill, who proudly represented Punjab and was a part of the Punjab Kings family. Our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and the entire cricketing fraternity,” Punjab Kings posted on their official Instagram account.
