Delta variant sparks current COVID-19 surge in the Eastern Mediterranean Region amid low ...

Cairo, 29 July 2021 – The circulation of the Delta variant is fuelling the surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths in an increasing number of countries in WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region. It is now being reported in 15 out of the 22 countries of the Region. The Delta variant is becoming the dominant strain of the virus in several of these countries, with infections mostly being reported among people who have yet to be vaccinated. It is more transmissible than the original virus and other detected variants of concern. The Region has also reported a substantial increase in the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths over the past month, especially in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Tunisia and Libya. Over 310 000 new cases and 3500 deaths have been reported on average on a weekly basis during the last 4 weeks, which is a 55% and 15% increase in the number of cases and deaths, respectively, compared to the previous month. Admission and hospitalization rates have increased in the last few weeks, and some referral hospitals are reaching full capacity and facing a shortage of intensive care beds and oxygen supplies.  “The rapid spread of the Delta variant across the Eastern Mediterranean Region and all other WHO regions is a major cause for concern. The number of new cases and deaths has increased in recent weeks. Most of the new cases and hospitalized patients are unvaccinated people.  We are now in the fourth Read more...
Source: WHO EMRO News - Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news