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Globally, the pace of the COVID-19 pandemic is slowing. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that the number of new confirmed cases of coronavirus infection in recent days was the lowest since February, as well as the reduction in mortality related to COVID-19.
However, the new option is increasingly worrying and encourages the introduction of new limitations in countries that have previously been able to control coronavirus epidemics in their territories.
“The Delta option is currently a matter of great global concern, and WHO is also concerned about it,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director of the United Nations agency, at a news conference on Friday.
Delta is the most contagious of all to date. It has already been detected in at least 85 countries and is spreading rapidly among the unvaccinated population, he added. – Although some countries are making social and public health measures more flexible, we are beginning to see the world increase [viruso] spread. “
The incidence of COVID-19 is increasing in Russia, Australia, Israel, and some African countries. This situation is due in part to the proliferation of the Delta variant.
Other countries fear that it will be their turn.
A more contagious strain
The Delta SARS-CoV-2 variant pandemic coronavirus was first detected in India. It began to spread in this country in April.
In Europe, the Delta strain first established itself in the UK, where it quickly began to spread faster than the alarming earlier variant of the Alpha infection. Delta variant infection now accounts for 95% of cases in England. genetically tested COVID-19 patient samples.
Delta is estimated to be 40-60%. more contagious than the Alpha variety. The latter, in turn, is more contagious than the original SARS-CoV-2 variant, which led to the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic early last year.
A similar scenario was repeated in other countries.
In the United States, 35 percent last week. Delta was identified in samples from COVID-19 patients undergoing genetic testing. As of June 5, his stake is about 10 percent. In Israel a similar dynamic of the spread of the new variant is observed.
The European Center for Disease Control (ECDC) predicts that in the European Union, as of early August, Delta could account for around 70% of all newly recorded COVID-19 cases.
The most important thing is vaccination.
Anthony Fauci, the US government’s top infectious disease specialist, called the new variant “the greatest threat” to controlling the virus and called for increased vaccination. This was reported by the US media on Tuesday.
Several studies have shown that vaccines are very effective in protecting against Delta, although to a lesser extent than other strains, but only after the second dose.
Recent figures released by the British government show that it is around 96 percent. fully vaccinated people are protected from hospitalization and 79 percent. – of symptomatic cases of Delta.
With just one dose, the protection is much less – just 35 percent.
“The world is getting weaker”
Delta is so contagious that experts say more than 80 percent of the population would need to be vaccinated to control it. This is a significant challenge even for those states that implement large-scale vaccination programs.
The WHO estimates that only one percent of Africa’s population is fully vaccinated, the lowest percentage in the world.
According to the head of the agency, there is a “worrying trend in Africa, it is becoming dangerous.”
The Delta strain has been found in 14 African countries and accounts for the majority of new cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
The WHO said on Friday it had stopped supplying vaccines to the poorest countries under the global Covax program.
“The world is getting weaker,” warned Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Just give us the vaccines.”
Back to restrictions?
According to Samuel Alizon, a biologist who specializes in infectious disease modeling, the situation is further complicated by the fact that Delta appears to be largely bypassing the immunity gained from a previous infection.
“We can no longer really rely on natural immunity,” he told AFP.
Because many younger people are not vaccinated, austerity measures may have to be taken again to halt the spread of the virus, even in countries where large-scale vaccination appeared to allow restrictions to be lifted.
The European Center for Disease Control warned that further easing of restrictions could lead to an increase in new cases in all age groups.
Some countries, such as Israel and Australia, have already announced their return to certain restrictions.
“Our goal is to put an end to this,” said Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. “Take a bucket of water and put it on the fire before it gets wet.”
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