Delta Variant Most Transmissible Variant Identified So Far: WHO Chief

The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations; it has stated that, Delta Variant of Covid-19 is present in about 100 nations according to conservative estimates. And the WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned in coming months, the highly transmissible strain would become the dominant variant of the Corona virus globally. He also raised alarm that, the Delta variant would be most transmissible of the variants identified so far and it would be spreading at rapid rate among those individuals who have not been vaccinated.

As per the Covid-19 Weekly Epidemiological Update, the WHO has said that, until 29th June, 2021, about 96 nations have reported cases for Delta Variant, even though, this is likely an underestimate as sequencing capacities are required to identify variants are limited. Most of these nations are attributing the rise in both, infections as well as hospitalization to this variant.

Due to rise in transmissibility, the WHO has warned that the Delta Variant is "expected to rapidly outcompete other variants and become the dominate variant over the coming months.

The World body has made a significant note, that the tools which exist today to fight effectively the Corona Virus, individual, community, level-public health and social measures, infection prevention and control measures that have been used, since the start of the pandemic still remain effective against the current variants of concern(VOCs), including the Delta Variant.

It further added, due to increased transmissibility of VOCs(Variants of Concern), in other words, it means the measures may required to maintained for longer duration, especially in a context of low vaccination coverage, these measures should be targeted, time-bound, reinforced and supported by member states.

WHO Chief has stated that there is presently much concern about the Delta Variant, and WHO is also concerned. The Delta is most transmissible of the variants identified so far, and it is spreading very fast among the unvaccinated populations.

He has shed light, that few nations have eased public health and also lifted social restrictions; there has been a corresponding rise in transmission across the world.

According to the latest figures

-Alpha variant Cases, has been reported in 172 nations, territories or areas

-Beta in 120 nations (one new nation)

-Gamma in 72 nations (one new nation)

-Delta in 96 nations (11 new nations).

For the 1st time in several weeks, the highest numbers of new Covid-19 cases were not reported from India.

As per the Recent update

-Brazil has reported the highest number of new cases (521,298) during the period June 21-27 week

-Then next nation, India (351,218 new cases, there has been over 12% rise over the previous week

-Colombia (204.132 new cases, 5% increase

-Russia (134.465, new cases, 24%)

-Argentina (131.824 new cases, 11% decrease

When it comes to South-East Asia Region, it has reported above 573,000 new cases and above 13000 new deaths, 5% and a 33% decrease respectively compared to the earlier week.

There has slight overall decrease in the number of cases reported this week, mostly due to the decrease in the number of cases reported in India.

The updates stated that, adding that a number of nations, including

- Myanmmar (112% increase)

- Indonesia (60% increase)

- Bangladesh (48% increase)

Reported large increase in the number of newly reported cases for this week.

In the region, the highest number of new cases has been reported from India (351.218 new cases,25.5 new cases per 100,000 a 21% increase) and Bangladesh(36,738 new cases, 45.8 new cases per 100,000 a 60% increase) and Bangladesh(36,738 new cases, 22.3 new cases per 100.000. a 48% increase).

The highest number of new deaths reported

From India (9038 new deaths, 0.7 new deaths per 100,000. A 45% decrease when compared to earlier week. Indonesia (2476 new deaths, 0.9 new deaths per 100,000 a 39% increase and Bangladesh 624 new deaths 0.4 new deaths per 100, 0000, a 45% increase.

Well into the 2nd year of the Covid-19 pandemic, the global situation has become highly fragile. While at the global level, the trends in cases as well as deaths have been declining in the recent weeks, there exists significant variation by region, by nation and within nations, as per the update stated.

In all WHO regions, there are nations; there has been a sharp rise in cases as well as hospitalizations reported.

The WHO has said, there are varied number of factors contributing toward it, they include the emergence and also circulation of more transmissible variants of SARs-COV-2. There is also increased social mixing as well as mobility, uneven and inequitable vaccination. That's not all; there is also lot of pressure to lift both, public health as well as social measures.