11 cases of Kappa COVID-19 variant detected in Rajasthan

COVID-19 patients in Mizoram

JAIPUR: A total of 11 confirmed cases of Kappa variant of COVID-19 were reported in Rajasthan in the past 24 hours.

This comes days after Uttar Pradesh and Tripura reported new cases of Kappa variant, which is a 'variant of interest' according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Of these 11 cases, four cases each are detected from Alwar and Jaipur, two from Barmer and one is from Bhilwara, said Rajasthan Health Minister Raghu Sharma.

However, Sharma stated that the Kappa version is a "mild strain of the coronavirus" when compared to the Delta variant, which was responsible for India's second coronavirus outbreak.

Two samples from Uttar Pradesh and 11 samples from Tripura have previously tested positive for the Kappa COVID-19 variant.

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B.1.617.1, also known as the Kappa variation, and B.1.617.2, popularly known as the Delta variant, were discovered in India in October 2020.

Both Delta and Kappa are belongs to the B.1.617 lineage.

Kappa variant is a double variant as delta because of two mutations -- EE484Q and L452R.

Moreover, WHO has not yet classified this variant has not classified as a 'Variant of Interest,' as Lambda, which has already spread to 30 nations around the world.

Meanwhile, no new COVID-19-related deaths were reported in Rajasthan in the past 24 hours despite the fact that 28 new cases pushed the tally of cases in the state to 9,53,187, according report.