Explanation:

Maharashtra reported 10 new cases of the Delta Plus variant. With this, total cases of Delta Plus variant has increased to 76 in the state.

SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant is also called as lineage B.1.617.2 or Indian variant. This variant was first detected in India in late 2020. It was named as ‘Delta Variant” by World Health Organization (WHO) on May 31, 2021. It comprises of mutations in the gene encoding SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Delta with K417N corresponds to lineages AY.1 as well as AY.2. This variant is called as “Delta plus” or “Nepal variant”. It comprises of K417N mutation. Such mutation is also present in Beta variant. The exchange at position 417 is a substitution of lysine-to-asparagine. The variant of the coronavirus is considered as highly infectious. It was first detected during genome sequencing of swab samples from across the states in India.