Kappa variant found in Uttar Pradesh patient

After two cases of the Delta plus strain were found in Deoria and Gorakhpur, a patient has now tested positive to the Kappa strain of Covid-19 in Sant Kabir Nagar.

The patient, a 66-year-old man, has died.

The strain was detected during the genome sequencing exercise.

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 too has been declared as a variant of concern.

Head of 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.

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.