Delta variant: More and more cases in UK and Russia affected | The highly contagious strain accounts for more than 90 percent of new diseases in both countries

Coronavirus infections have increased again in Europe due to the Delta variant and with alarming situations in the UK and Russia. These countries are the ones currently registering the most new cases in Europe, with an average of 20,400 daily infections in the last seven days in Russia and 16,400 in the United Kingdom. The Delta variant, much more contagious than the previous strains, it represents almost all new cases in both countries. GermanyAlthough the situation vis-à-vis covid-19 has remained stable in recent weeks, unease is growing due to the lack of coordinated health measures with other countries on the continent and the authorities. They ask to reduce the number of spectators in the stadiums that host the Eurocup.

Russia: focus on Moscow and new restrictions

Russia records more than half of new deaths on mainland Europe, with almost 600 per day on average over the last seven days. The European giant This Tuesday added 652 deaths from covid-19, the highest death toll since the start of the pandemic. Moscow is the worst affected city, with 121 deaths and 6,209 new cases in a single day. Its mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, once again recalled that the Delta variant of the coronavirus is “more contagious and more deadly” than the others.

In an attempt to slow the progression of the pandemic, Russian capital reimposed teleworking for at least 30 percent of non-immune employees, made vaccination compulsory for workers in the service sector and created a health card for those who want to enter bars and restaurants.

Vaccination

Authorities in Moscow insist that “rapid mass vaccination” must be carried out in order to stop the pandemic., since other measures such as containment are temporary. So far, only 22.2 million people have been vaccinated, which is equivalent to approximately 15 percent of the population. The vaccination campaign has been delayed since December, in a context of striking public mistrust of vaccines.

According to the director of the Gamaleya Scientific Institute, Alexander Gintsburg, around 90% of new cases of covid-19 recorded in Russia are of the Delta variant. Russia, with 5,493,557 positives, is the fifth country in the world with the most infections behind the United States, India, Brazil and France. It also accumulates 132,314 deaths from the coronavirus.

United Kingdom: Delta variant in 95% of cases

On British territory the number of new deaths has practically doubled in two weeks (from 10 per day to 17 last week), although the figure so far remains far from the January peak, when more than 1,250 people died per day. The Ministry of Health on Tuesday notified 20,479 new covid-19 infections, against more than 22,000 verified on Monday, in addition to 23 new deaths.

The brand new British Minister for Health, Sajid Javidsaid Monday in his first statement to the House of Commons that maintains plan to remove all restrictions against the pandemic on July 19. “To be fair, no date we choose will be associated with zero risk of coronavirus.. We know we can’t eliminate him and we have to learn to live with him, ”said Javid, who replaced Matt Hancock, forced to resign after breaking social distancing in a scandal involving one of his collaborators.

The new head of the health portfolio admitted that the rise in infections, driven by the extension of the Delta variant which accounts for 95 percent of infections in the country, causes “an increase in hospitalizations”. In any case, Javid assured that this increase is “in line” with the figures that the executive anticipated “at this stage of the roadmap”.

“Our vaccines work. Also against the Delta strain”, said the new minister, who believes that Vaccination has saved 27,000 lives in the UK and prevented more than 7 million infections. “My task is to help restore the economic and cultural life that makes this country great, while of course protecting lives and maintaining our public health system,” Javid told the British Parliament.

Germany: criticism of the organization of the European Championship

German authorities said on Tuesday that the Delta variant affects around 50% of new infections in the countryThus, anyone who has not had the opportunity to receive the two doses of the vaccine “must undergo regular tests”, at least twice a week, and even more if he returns from abroad.

In the case of travelers, the German government is in favor of stepping up health checks on arrival in the country of people from risk areas and an additional “possibly mandatory” analysis to slow the progression of the variant of Indian origin.

Although it has a fairly favorable outlook compared to countries like Russia or the United Kingdom, Germany expressed concern on Tuesday about the number of spectators that each Eurocup match calls for. The German Minister of the Interior, Horst Seehofer, called on the UK government and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to reduce the number of supporters allowed at Wembley Stadium.

“It seems irresponsible to me that tens of thousands of people congregate in tight spaces in countries at risk of the highly contagious Delta variant.”, as is currently the case in the UK, said Seehofer, also sports minister, in an interview published on Tuesday by the newspaper General of Augsburg.

Germany, the matches are played at the Allianz Arena in Munich, where maximum capacity is 20 percent: 14,000 people. According to Seehofer, this percentage should serve as a general rule for the rest of the countries in which the cup is contested.