Alpha variant have been reported in 172 countries, territories or areas in the world. Delta on the other hand is rapidly spreading and has been detected in 96 countries.
The number of countries where the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 has been detected is now approaching 100, indicating that this variant will become dominant in the coming months, the World Health Organization has said. The variant, which was first found in India, has now been detected in 96 countries, according to the WHO.
Compared to last week, the variant has now expanded to 11 other states.
The Delta variant is 55% more transmissible than the Alpha variant, which was first detected in the UK, and now over 90% of cases in the UK itself are of the Delta variant.
In its weekly Covid-19 epidemiological update, the WHO said as of June 29, 2021, “96 countries have reported cases of the Delta variant, although this is likely an underestimate because the sequencing capabilities needed to identify variants are limited. A number of countries attribute outbreaks of infections and hospitalizations to this variant. “
While Delta poses a new threat to the global economic recovery, the world body has said localized containment measures may need to be maintained for a longer period. “Although the increased transmissibility of VOCs (Variants of Concern) means that measures may need to be maintained longer, especially in a context of low immunization coverage, these measures need to be targeted, time-bound, reinforced, and supported by members. States” it said.
Of the Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta variants of the virus, Delta has been identified by the WHO as the most transmissible of the variants.
According to the latest WHO figures, cases of the Alpha variant have been reported in 172 countries, territories or areas, Beta in 120 countries (a new country), Gamma in 72 countries (a new country) and Delta in 96 countries ( 11 new countries). countries).
The drop in the number of new Covid-19 cases in India is behind the drop in the global figure, the WHO noted, although the global body recorded a 12-cent increase in the number of cases reported in India compared to the previous week.
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