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The delta variant of the coronavirus, which first appeared in India, is expected to spread significantly in Europe over the summer, according to the EU health agency ECDC. “It is very likely that the delta variant will circulate strongly during the summer,” ECDC Director Andrea Ammon said Wednesday. She said this is especially true for younger people who are not among the target groups for vaccination campaigns.
This could cause a risk that more vulnerable people could become infected and experience a serious course of the disease or die if they are not fully vaccinated, she said.
According to available scientific evidence, the delta variant (B.1.617.2) is 40 to 60 percent more transmissible than the alpha variant (B.1.1.7) that first appeared in England, the Stockholm-based agency said. It therefore expects delta to account for 70 percent of all new Corona infections in the European Union and its associated countries Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein as early as the beginning of August. By the end of August, this figure is expected to reach 90 percent.
Unfortunately, preliminary data show that people who have received only one dose of the currently available vaccines may also be infected with the Delta variant, Ammon said. The good news, on the other hand, is that two doses of vaccine provide a high level of protection against this variant and its consequences, he said. A very fast pace of vaccination campaigns is therefore extremely important, he said. At this point, he said, it is also critical to administer the second vaccination within the least amount of time allowed after the first vaccination to protect those at risk. Too many people are still at risk of getting seriously ill with Covid-19, he said.
— source: APA/picture: dw.com
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