“You will have to give very good reasons to hold Class 12 board examinations. If there is any fatality, we will hold the state responsible,” the bench told counsel for Andhra Pradesh.

“As of now among the samples sequenced (45000+) in India, Delta plus variant — AY.1 –has been observed sporadically in Maharashtra, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh, with around 40 cases identified so far and no significant increase in prevalence,” the ministry said in its statement.

These three states have been advised to strengthen surveillance and take appropriate public health measures.
 AstraZeneca Plc’s COVID-19 vaccine is effective against Delta and Kappa variants, which were first identified in India, the company said on Tuesday, citing a study.

The study by the Oxford University investigated the ability of monoclonal antibodies in blood from recovered people and from those vaccinated to neutralize the Delta and Kappa variants, the statement said.

Speaking about rural vaccination, Paul said, “More than half of the doses administered over the last few weeks were inoculated in rural areas, which makes it clear that rural outreach is possible. We are fully hopeful and confident that it is completely possible for us to cover rural areas.” Dr Paul emphasised that gender balance in inoculation needs to be focused and said, “46 per cent of the people who received the vaccine yesterday were women and 53 per cent were men. We have to work on this imbalance, create awareness among women and bring them forward.”