Delta variant may soon become the most dominant Covid strain globally: WHO
Premium- Delta variant has spread to over 100 countries, WHO official informs
- 'Among all variants of concern, delta spreads most rapidly,' the official adds
As the world feels the Covid-19 jitters due to emerging strains, the World Health Organisation (WHO) official on Monday said that among all these strains, the Delta variant, which was first identified in India, has spread to over 100 countries.
Sounding a warning, Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia, told news agency ANI that the way the Delta variant spreading is slightly to soon become the most dominant COVID-19 strain globally, adding, "Among all variants of concern, delta spreads most rapidly."
Meanwhile, India's virus expert panel, the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), found out that the said variant is 40-60% more transmissible than the original strain and is currently the reason for maximum infections in the country. The government has also warned that covid-19 cases in India may rise again in case a new and more infectious variant emerges.
The Delta Plus variant—AY.1 and AY.2—has so far been detected in 55-60 cases across 11 states, including Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Madhya Pradesh and is still being studied for its transmissibility, virulence, and vaccine escape characteristics, co-chair if INSACOG Dr N K Arora said.
The Delta variant has mutations in its spike protein, which helps it bind to the ACE2 receptors present on the surface of the cells more firmly, making it more transmissible and capable of evading the body's immunity, Dr Arora said.
"The B.1.617.2, a variant of COVID-19 known as the Delta variant, was first identified in October 2020 in India, and was primarily responsible for the second wave in the country, today accounting for over 80 percent of new COVID-19 cases," he said.
Moreover, WHO official also informed that India has been offered 7.5 million doses of Moderna vaccine through WHO's COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) program.
India saw a single day rise of 38,164 new coronavirus infections, while the death toll climbed to 4,14,108 with 499 fresh fatalities, the lowest in over three months, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday.
The COVID-19 case tally has climbed to 3,11,44,229.
The active cases have declined to 4,21,665 and comprise 1.35 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate stands at 97.32 per cent, the data updated at 8 am showed.
A decrease of 995 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.
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