Coronavirus: Delta Plus arrives in Cyprus (Update 2)

By Evie Andreou and Nick Theodoulou

The Delta Plus sub variant has been detected in two of the Covid-19 samples sent for sequencing to the ECDC and a private lab in Cyprus, the health ministry announced on Monday.

While investigations into Delta Plus are still at an early stage, current estimates by international experts put it at being about ten per cent more transmissible than the original Delta variant – while the leap from Alpha to Delta was about a 50 to 60 per cent increase.

The original Delta Covid-19 variant was detected in all 279 samples collected between September and October among people who had been tested positive for Covid-19. Among those were two samples which were confirmed to be of the Delta Plus variant (AY.4.2).

“It emerged from the specialised tests, that the Delta variant (B.1.617.2) was detected in all 279 samples,” the ministry said.

Concerns over Delta Plus have garnered international headlines and last week local epidemiologist Dr Michalis Voniatis warned that “it’s just a matter of time until it reaches Cyprus.”

Prof Francois Balloux, director of University College London’s Genetics Institute was quoted by the BBC as saying that the offshoot of Delta “might be slightly, subtly more transmissible but it is not something absolutely disastrous like we saw previously.”

In its announcement, the health ministry said that 185 samples were sent to the ECDC, and the rest were processed by a private lab that collaborates with the health ministry. After the Delta variant was detected in all of them, the samples were sent for thorough genetic analysis at the University of Cyprus’ Laboratory of Biotechnology and Molecular Virology. During the analysis, the Delta Plus variant was detected in two samples.

“Though the characteristics of the Delta Plus mutation show that it increases the transmissibility of the virus, their detection in Cyprus has not, at this stage, caused a serious deterioration in epidemiological and hospital indicators,” it added.

The ministry said it is closely monitoring the situation by sending samples for sequencing.

The aim, it added, is to identify new variants early and take steps to limit their spread in the community.