Delta variant detected in 96 countries; will become dominant in coming months, says WHO

Alpha variant have been reported in 172 countries, territories or areas in the world. Delta on the other hand is rapidly spreading and has been detected in 96 countries.

The number of countries where the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 has been detected is now nearing 100 which indicates that this variant will become the dominant one in the coming months, the World Health Organization has said. The variant, which was first found in India, has now been detected in 96 countries, according to WHO.

A deserted street is seen in Brisbane's central business district on June 30, 2021, as the city falls quiet from a lockdown with Australia battling outbreaks of the highly contagious Delta variant of Covid-19. (Photo by Patrick HAMILTON / AFP)

In comparison to last week, the variant has now spread to 11 more states.

Delta variant is 55 per cent more transmissible than the Alpha variant, which was first detected in the UK, and now over 90 per cent of cases in the UK itself is of Delta variant.

In its Covid-19 Weekly Epidemiological Update, the WHO said as of June 29, 2021, "96 countries have reported cases of the Delta variant, though this is likely an underestimate as sequencing capacities needed to identify variants are limited. A number of these countries are attributing surges in infections and hospitalisations to this variant."

As Delta is posing as a new threat to the recovering economy worldwide, the world body said that localised containment measures may need to be maintained for a longer period of time. "Although the increased transmissibility of VOCs (Variants of Concern) means that measures may need to be maintained for longer periods of time, particularly in a context of low vaccination coverage, these measures must be targeted, time-bound, reinforced and supported by member states," it said.

Among the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta variants of the virus, Delta has been identified by WHO as the most transmissible of the variants.

As per the latest WHO figures, cases of the Alpha variant have been reported in 172 countries, territories or areas, Beta in 120 countries (one new country), Gamma in 72 countries (one new country) and Delta in 96 countries (11 new countries).

The falling number of fresh Covid-19 cases in India is behind the decline of the global figure, the WHO noted, though the world body has registered a 12 cent rise in the number of cases being reported from India compared to the previous week.

(With agency inputs)