Delta variant hits Europe: 90% of coronavirus cases in August will correspond to this strain



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A Spaniard performs a PCR test (Photo: EFE / Eliseo Trigo)
A Spaniard performs a PCR test (Photo: EFE / Eliseo Trigo)

The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said on Wednesday that the Delta variant of COVID-19, much more contagious and first identified in India, will account for 90% of all SARS-CoV-2 viruses circulating in the European Union by the end of August.

The ad echoes a similar warning issued by the World Health Organization last week, who said the variant became dominant in the world.

Due to its increased transport capacity, the Delta variant is of concern to many governments across Europe, in a context where most countries relax restrictions following the general decline in new cases of COVID-19.

Friday photo of a group of people entering a COVID-19 vaccination center in London (Photo: REUTERS / Toby Melville)
Photo on Friday of a group of people entering a COVID-19 vaccination center in London (Photo: REUTERS / Toby Melville)

However, in response to the increase in Delta cases in the UK, authorities intend to speed up vaccination plans so that all adults have their first COVID-19 vaccine by July 19, the new date on which the restrictions will be lifted in England.

The executive director of the Agencia de Seguridad Sanitaria del Reino Unido, the doctora Jenny Harries, expressed: “El aumento se da principmente en los grupos de edad más jóvenes, una gran proporción de los cuales no estaban vacunados pero ahora están siendo invitados a recibir the vaccine. It is encouraging to see that hospitalizations and deaths are not increasing at the same rate, but we will continue to monitor it closely. “

At Germany, the proportion of COVID-19 infections caused by the variant Coronavirus Delta has doubled in a week and is expected to gain more ground compared to othersThe Robert Koch Institute’s public health body reported on Wednesday.

German citizens are waiting their turn to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in Cologne (Photo: EFE)
German citizens are waiting their turn to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in Cologne (Photo: EFE)

Whole genome sequencing analysis shows that the Delta variant is responsible for the 15% of infectionsthe Institute said, adding that “the proportion of variant B.1.617.2 (Delta) continues to increase and the proportion of this VOC (variant of concern) has doubled in one week”.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday that she would like other European countries to also require quarantines for people arriving from places with high levels of the Delta variant.

“It is very likely that the The delta variant circulates widely during the summer (boreal), especially in younger individuals who are not subject to vaccination“Said ECDC. “This could present a risk that the most vulnerable are infected and suffer serious illness and death if they are not fully vaccinated, ”he added.

However, the ECDC said that Two doses of an approved COVID-19 vaccine offered “high protection” against the variant and its consequences.

Dozens of people walk down Oxford Street, London (Photo: EFE)
Dozens of people walk down Oxford Street, London (Photo: EFE)

Last week, an analysis by Public Health England (PHE) showed that vaccines manufactured by Pfizer Inc and AstraZeneca provided over 90% protection against hospitalization for the Delta variant.

The same was found by another Oxford University study published this week in the journal Cell, which analyzed the ability of antibodies in the blood of people vaccinated with the two-shot regimens to neutralize the highly contagious Delta and Kappa variants.

“There is no evidence to suggest that the current generation of vaccines do not offer protection against the B.1.617 line,” the document notes, referring to the Delta and Kappa variants by a commonly used code. Both are from India, but while Delta is considered very important, Kappa is listed as “of interest”.

(With information from Reuters and EFE)

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