Delta now dominant Covid variant in most of Europe, warn WHO and ECDC

The WHO Regional Office for Europe and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control have warned that if current trends continue, Delta could soon become the world’s dominant variant of Covid-19.

[Representative image] Delta could soon become the world’s dominant variant of Covid, the WHO had warned (Photo credit: Getty Images)

HIGHLIGHTS

• The alert was issued by the WHO Regional Office for Europe, ECDC
• Delta was the dominant variant in 19 out of 28 European countries from June to July
• Experts say Delta, first discovered in India, is the “fittest and fastest variant” yet

Delta is now the dominant variant of Covid-19 in most parts of Europe, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Monday. Together with the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), WHO said efforts to prevent the transmission of the Delta variant need to be stepped up.

According to the WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO / Europe), surveillance data from June 28 to July 11 show that Delta was the dominant variant of SARS-CoV-2 in at least 19 of the 28 European countries that reported sufficient information on genetic sequencing.

In these 19 countries, the average percentage of the Delta variant found in samples sent for genetic sequencing was 68.3 percent. In comparison, the previously dominant alpha variant was only found in 22.3 percent of the samples.

READ: The Delta variant: a shape-changing enemy

This suggests that Delta has now overtaken Alpha as the dominant variant of Covid-19 in most parts of Europe.

Experts have already confirmed the presence of the highly transferable Delta variant in almost all European countries.

Delta could turn out to be the dominant global variant

In the United States, the Delta variant also reportedly accounts for around 83 percent of all new infections with Covid-19.

If current trends continue, Delta will be called the globally dominant variant of SARS-CoV-2 in the coming weeks.

The variant will continue to spread, displacing the spread of other variants, unless the virus continues to mutate to form a new and more competitive strain.

READ: Delta variant 40-60% more transferable than alpha variant: Dr. NK Arora

Delta (B.1.617.2) was first discovered in India in October 2020 and identified as one of the main factors behind the second wave of Covid-19 infections that devastated the country earlier this year.

The Reuters news agency quoted microbiologist Sharon Peacock: “The greatest risk to the world right now is simply Delta.”

Delta is “the fittest and fastest variant so far,” said Sharon Peacock.

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