How effective are the vaccines against the 'variant of concern' Delta plus?
Representational picture | Photo Credit: PTI  Key Highlights Delta Plus variant of the novel coronavirus is now classified as a variant of concern' by the health ministry Top health experts and Health Ministry officials are emphasizing the importance of calibrating the reopening Implementation of an aggressive vaccination strategy and Covid-appropriate behaviour, failing which India may face a third Covid wave in three to four months  The Union Health Ministry classified the Delta Plus variant of the novel coronavirus, which has been discovered in three states so far, as a variant of concern' on Tuesday and urged states to adopt prompt containment measures in clusters where the variant has been detected. The decision comes after INSACOG, a consortium of 28 Health Ministry laboratories involved in genome sequencing, informed the Centre on Tuesday that the Delta Plus variant has three concerning characteristics: increased transmissibility, stronger binding in lung cell receptors, and a potential reduction in monoclonal antibody response. According to Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, 22 cases have been discovered in the country thus far. Apart from India, the Delta plus variant has been discovered in the United States, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Switzerland, Japan, Poland, Nepal, China, and Russia. With cities reopening across the country and a highly infectious Delta variant still present, top health experts and Health Ministry officials are emphasising the importance of calibrating the reopening while implementing an aggressive vaccination strategy and Covid-appropriate behaviour, failing which India may face a third Covid wave in three to four months. According to AIIMS head Randeep Guleria, the next three months would be critical for India, and the appearance of cases in the UK is a "red signal." Covaxin and Covidshield  According to the health ministry, Bharat Biotech's Covaxin and Serum Institute of India's Covishield are effective against the Delta strain. "Both the vaccines being administered in India, Covishield and Covaxin, (Sputnik joined later) are effective against Delta. But to what extent and what is the proportion of antibody titers produced by these vaccines will be shared soon," Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan has said. Sputnik  According to Gamaleya Centre head Alexander Gintsburg, the Russia-made vaccine, which formed part of India's immunisation programme, is effective against all Covid forms known today. "Antibodies developed after vaccination with Sputnik V protect from all variants of COVID known today, starting from the UK variant to the so-called Delta variant, first detected in India," he said. Sputnik claims better protection against new variants, which is why its marketer, the Russian Direct Investment Fund, has suggested a booster shot to other vaccine manufacturers, which will be the third injection after the normal two doses of vaccinations. Pfizer  Pfizer, which is nearing a deal with India, claimed on Thursday that its vaccine is very effective against the Delta form of Covid-19, which has arisen as a new threat to the globe. "The data we have today, accumulating from research we are conducting at the lab and including data from those places where the Indian variant, Delta, has replaced the British variant as the common variant, point to our vaccine being very effective, around 90%, in preventing the coronavirus disease, Covid-19," Alon Rappaport, Pfizer's medical director  Delta Plus has been discovered to be resistant to the monoclonal antibody cocktail therapy for covid-19, which was recently approved in India. However, this does not reveal anything about its reaction to Covid-19 vaccinations.