Stockholm: delta versionThe bloc’s disease control agency said on Wednesday that the virus, first identified in India, could be responsible for 90 per cent of new Covid cases in the EU in the coming months.
“It is very likely that delta Andrea Ammon, director of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), said in a statement that the variant will be widespread during the summer, especially among young individuals who are not targeted for vaccination.
“The delta variant is more transmissible than other circulating variants and we estimate that by the end of August it will represent 90 percent of new cases in the EU”, she said.
The ECDC estimates that the delta version (b.1.617.2) is 40 to 60 percent more contagious than the alpha version (b.1.1.7), which was first discovered in the UK, which is currently The major variant of the novel coronavirus in Moving around in the European Union.
The agency said that “70 percent of new SARS-CoV-2 infections in the EU/EEA by the beginning of August are estimated to be of this type and 90 percent by the end of August”.
To combat the spread of the variant and reduce the health impact, the ECDC said, “it is very important to progress at a very rapid pace” with the vaccine roll-out.
According to the ECDC, to date, about 30 percent of those over 80 and 40 percent of those over 60 in the European Union are still not fully vaccinated.
“At this stage it becomes important that the second vaccination dose is administered within the minimum authorized interval from the first dose, to protect vulnerable individuals,” Ammon said.
The ECDC is also urging countries to be cautious about easing restrictions aimed at limiting the spread.
“Any relaxation in the summer months of the rigor of non-drug measures in the EU/EEA in early June could lead to a sharp and significant increase in daily cases across all age groups,” the agency said.
This increase in turn “could lead to an increase in hospitalizations and deaths, potentially reaching levels similar to those in the autumn of 2020 if no additional measures are taken,” it added.
“It is very likely that delta Andrea Ammon, director of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), said in a statement that the variant will be widespread during the summer, especially among young individuals who are not targeted for vaccination.
“The delta variant is more transmissible than other circulating variants and we estimate that by the end of August it will represent 90 percent of new cases in the EU”, she said.
The ECDC estimates that the delta version (b.1.617.2) is 40 to 60 percent more contagious than the alpha version (b.1.1.7), which was first discovered in the UK, which is currently The major variant of the novel coronavirus in Moving around in the European Union.
The agency said that “70 percent of new SARS-CoV-2 infections in the EU/EEA by the beginning of August are estimated to be of this type and 90 percent by the end of August”.
To combat the spread of the variant and reduce the health impact, the ECDC said, “it is very important to progress at a very rapid pace” with the vaccine roll-out.
According to the ECDC, to date, about 30 percent of those over 80 and 40 percent of those over 60 in the European Union are still not fully vaccinated.
“At this stage it becomes important that the second vaccination dose is administered within the minimum authorized interval from the first dose, to protect vulnerable individuals,” Ammon said.
The ECDC is also urging countries to be cautious about easing restrictions aimed at limiting the spread.
“Any relaxation in the summer months of the rigor of non-drug measures in the EU/EEA in early June could lead to a sharp and significant increase in daily cases across all age groups,” the agency said.
This increase in turn “could lead to an increase in hospitalizations and deaths, potentially reaching levels similar to those in the autumn of 2020 if no additional measures are taken,” it added.
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