The Delta variant of the coronavirus has multiplied 6 times among the COVID-19 cases analyzed by the Malbrán Institute

At the national level, the curve of confirmed cases of people with the COVID-19 disease has been decreasing since last June in Argentina. The number of cases requiring intensive care hospitalization, which returned to the level of May last year, and reported daily deaths have also declined. Of the 56 deaths from COVID-19 reported yesterday, only 16 have died in the past 11 days. However, there is a potential risk of outbreaks with the highest frequency in the detection of the Delta variant of the coronavirus in contagious people during this time of pandemic.

In the last technical report on genomic surveillance published in October by the ANLIS / Malbrán Institute, which depends on the Ministry of Health of the Nation, in the week of August 22, 2.1% of the samples analyzed corresponded to cases of people with COVID-19 with the Delta variant of the coronavirus. But Delta’s frequency increased 6 times to reach the week of September 19. THEThe Delta variant was present in 13% of the total of 5,177 samples that were sequenced from people who had not traveled abroad.

When analyzing the reports available on the genomic surveillance of the coronavirus in the country, the researcher from Conicet and the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences of the University of Buenos Aires, Roberto Etchenique commented Infobae: “In cities like the city of Buenos Aires and Greater Buenos Aires, confirmed cases with Delta were 10% a few weeks ago. Today they would be a little more. THEor what the experience in other countries, like Chile, indicates is that at the end of October Delta should be the majority variant in Argentina ”.

But the scientist clarified, “Although the cases with Delta may increase, they could be few given the large proportion of people with the full regimen with the combination of Sputnik V and others, which greatly improves the immunity against Delta. It is also added that more outdoor activities are practiced ”.

“It is possible that the cases with Delta will continue to grow in Argentina if you look at the situation in other countries. There is even the possibility of new variations appearing. As vaccination progresses in the population, the variants will have less impact on the epidemiological curve, ”said Pablo Scapellatto, of the Argentinian Society of Infectious Diseases, consulted today by Infobae.

The Delta variant among foreign travelers

According to the latest Malbrán report, from January to September 27, the researchers conducted genomic sequencing of 800 traveler samples from abroad who entered Argentina and had positive results or cases related to importation.

Until September 27, 2021, “In Argentina, 561 cases of the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 have been identified, including 462 They correspond to cases imported or linked to importation and to 99 cases not linked to importation or under investigation ”, underlined the investigators of Malbrán.

Of the total cases corresponding to international travelers, more than 55% had tested negative on entry into the country and were subsequently detected during the period of compulsory isolation at their home after travel either because they developed symptoms or because they took the mandatory diagnostic test on the seventh day of check-up.

The jurisdictions of residence in which cases of international travelers have been identified are: Buenos Aires, City of Buenos Aires, Chubut, Córdoba, La Rioja, Mendoza, Rio Negro, Salta, Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, Tierra del Fuego and Tucumán .

Regarding Delta cases with no travel history and unrelated to importation or under investigation, the following cases were detected: 41 cases resided in the city of Buenos Aires. Of these infections, 15 are linked to an institutional epidemic; 17 cases with residence in the province of Buenos Aires (1 of them linked to the institutional CABA epidemic); 14 cases in the province of Cordoba, 13 related to each other, “belonging to the same conglomerate whose origin is under investigation and in addition, a case with no travel history is under investigation; 20 cases with residence in Santa Fe, 2 cases with residence in Corrientes, 2 cases in Salta; two cases with residence in Mendoza and one case with residence in Tucumán. Among the cases with identified Delta variant, 6 correspond to deceased persons. Most had not been vaccinated.

Regarding the overall situation of the variants of the coronavirus circulating in the country and the changes in terms of prevalence, they clarified that during the last three weeks of September, the proportion of priority variants in sequenced cases unrelated to travel and unrelated to importation or surveys continues to be above 70% for the Gamma variant, while the Alpha variant continues to decline.

As for the Delta variant, between the week of August 29 and the week of September 19, an increase of 5% to about 13% is observed. Regarding the Lambda variant of interest, which was detected for the first time in South America, a decrease from 23% to 11% is observed in the second half of September.

Consulted by Infobae, Dr Humberto Debat, virology researcher at the National Institute of Agricultural Technology, said that 10% of samples of people with COVID-19 in the city of Buenos Aires and Conurbano who studied the Country Project initiative – of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation of the Nation – in the weeks leading up to September 24 corresponded to the Delta variant.

“Delta’s circulation in Argentina is strong right now. There is strong evidence that it circulates in the community, although with a geographic limitation to the central region of the country. It is possible that cases with Delta are increasing in other regions ”, underlined Dr Debat. “This is at a time when the spread of Delta can accelerate and become dominant,” he added.

The situation in Argentina is similar to that of neighboring countries such as Brazil, Uruguay, Chile (with more than 60% of the samples with Delta), Paraguay (with 11.5% of Delta in the samples). “It is also important to point out that Delta’s progress is occurring against a general background in which the evolution of COVID-19 cases is declining both in Argentina and in other countries in South America,” he pointed out.

For the researcher, it is necessary that the population continues to adhere to the vaccination and to follow the care with the use of the jugular, the distancing and the permanent ventilation in the confined spaces.

In addition, Dr Debat pointed out the possibility that more outbreaks could be generated with the Delta variant, it would be important that people entering from other countries respect the isolation. “Because as genomic surveillance reports show, admission tests sometimes fail to detect coronavirus, and people can walk around and infect others. In order to prevent, it would be better to do isolation during the days following admission, ”he said.

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