According to the World Health Organization’s chief scientist, the delta variant of the novel coronavirus which was first detected in India and is highly contagious is turning out to be the dominant strain of the disease globally.
Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the WHO’s chief scientist, said during a news conference at the agency’s Geneva headquarters that it was because of the “significantly increased transmissibility” of the delta variant.
According to studies, the delta variant is about 60 per cent more transmissible than the alpha variant which was first identified in the United Kingdom and much more contagious then the original strain of the virus that emerge from Wuhan, China, in late 2019.
She said that the situation globally “is so dynamic because of the variants that are circulating”.
The WHO has said that the delta variant has spread to more than 80 countries and is continuing to mutate even as it spreads in across the world. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 10 per cent of all new cases of Covid-19 infections in the United States was of the delta variant and was more than the 6 per cent estimated last week.
According to the CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the delta variant of the coronavirus is expected to become the dominant coronavirus variant in the United States and therefore it was very important for people to get vaccinated against Covid-19.
“As worrisome as this delta strain is with regard to its hyper transmissibility, our vaccines work,” Walensky said in a television program. If you get vaccinated, “you’ll be protected against this delta variant,” she added.
In the United Kingdom, the delta variant become the dominant variant in the country recently and surpassed the infections caused by the alpha variant which was first detected in the country last fall. About 60 per cent of the new cases in the UK are now being caused by the delta variant.
Last month, the delta variant was described by the WHO as a “variant of concern”. According to the health organization, it is a norm to label a variant as being “of concern” if it was found to be more contagious, more deadly or more resistant to current vaccines and treatments.
Some studies have also suggested that more severe symptoms are caused by the delta variant but to arrive at a definitive conclusion, more research and studies are needed, WHO officials said. However there are already signs that symptoms different of the other variants could be provoked by the delta strain of the coronavirus.
More time and data on the delta variant will be needed by scientists including its impact on the efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines, Swaminathan said on Friday.
The German company CureVac blamed the different variants for its Covid-19 vaccine exhibiting just 47 per cent efficacy in a clinical trial that was held among 40,000 people.
“How many are getting infected and of those how many are getting hospitalized and seriously ill?” Swaminathan said Friday. “This is something we’re watching very carefully.”
(Source:www.cnbc.com)
Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the WHO’s chief scientist, said during a news conference at the agency’s Geneva headquarters that it was because of the “significantly increased transmissibility” of the delta variant.
According to studies, the delta variant is about 60 per cent more transmissible than the alpha variant which was first identified in the United Kingdom and much more contagious then the original strain of the virus that emerge from Wuhan, China, in late 2019.
She said that the situation globally “is so dynamic because of the variants that are circulating”.
The WHO has said that the delta variant has spread to more than 80 countries and is continuing to mutate even as it spreads in across the world. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 10 per cent of all new cases of Covid-19 infections in the United States was of the delta variant and was more than the 6 per cent estimated last week.
According to the CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the delta variant of the coronavirus is expected to become the dominant coronavirus variant in the United States and therefore it was very important for people to get vaccinated against Covid-19.
“As worrisome as this delta strain is with regard to its hyper transmissibility, our vaccines work,” Walensky said in a television program. If you get vaccinated, “you’ll be protected against this delta variant,” she added.
In the United Kingdom, the delta variant become the dominant variant in the country recently and surpassed the infections caused by the alpha variant which was first detected in the country last fall. About 60 per cent of the new cases in the UK are now being caused by the delta variant.
Last month, the delta variant was described by the WHO as a “variant of concern”. According to the health organization, it is a norm to label a variant as being “of concern” if it was found to be more contagious, more deadly or more resistant to current vaccines and treatments.
Some studies have also suggested that more severe symptoms are caused by the delta variant but to arrive at a definitive conclusion, more research and studies are needed, WHO officials said. However there are already signs that symptoms different of the other variants could be provoked by the delta strain of the coronavirus.
More time and data on the delta variant will be needed by scientists including its impact on the efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines, Swaminathan said on Friday.
The German company CureVac blamed the different variants for its Covid-19 vaccine exhibiting just 47 per cent efficacy in a clinical trial that was held among 40,000 people.
“How many are getting infected and of those how many are getting hospitalized and seriously ill?” Swaminathan said Friday. “This is something we’re watching very carefully.”
(Source:www.cnbc.com)
