RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Delta variant of the novel coronavirus, initially detected in India, is not yet circulating in the city of São Paulo. The information was released yesterday, June 14, by Municipal Health Secretary Edson Aparecido.
“For over 30 days, on Mondays, we have sent 250 samples of positive Covid-19 tests collected throughout the city. With these tests, genetic sequencing is conducted by the Butantan and Adolfo Lutz Institutes, and also by the Institute of Tropical Medicine. Last week, the study of all these tests were completed and found that the Indian variant is not circulating in the city of São Paulo at this time,” said Edson Aparecido.
Since May, the São Paulo City Hall has intensified studies to monitor the emergence of new variants in the city. The Municipal Health Secretariat’s concern is mainly with this B.1.617 (Delta) variant that has been causing an increase in the number of cases in India and some other countries.
So far, the study in São Paulo has shown that the P.1 variant, which emerged in Manaus (Gamma), is predominant in the city: more than 97% of the samples tracked between April and May correspond to this variant. The remainder comprise other variants, such as the one that emerged in the UK (Alpha).
In March, the P.1 corresponded to 79% of cases tracked in the capital.
Symptoms
Headache, sore throat and runny nose are the most common symptoms associated with the Covid-19 variant haunting the UK. The data was collected by the Zoe Covid app as part of the disease symptoms study and suggests that the Delta variant first detected in India seems like a “severe cold.”
The “classic” symptoms of coronavirus, on the other hand, are fever, cough, and loss of smell or taste. Spector also said that with the Delta variant, cough seems to be the 5th most common symptom, and loss of smell is not among the top 10.
Source: Exame