In a recent interview with the Bloomberg, Swaminathan said Covid-19 cases are rising in five out of six WHO regions, and mortality rates in Africa have jumped by 30-40 per cent in the last two weeks
The spread of Delta variant and slow pace of vaccinations is leading to surge in Covid-19 cases across most regions of the world, WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said. She also said there was clear evidence that the virus is not on the wane.
In a recent interview with the Bloomberg, Swaminathan said Covid-19 cases are rising in five out of six WHO regions, and mortality rates in Africa have jumped by 30-40 per cent in the last two weeks.
Swaminathan said the fast-spreading Delta variant is certainly the most transmissible, most dangerous variant of Covid-19 seen so far and is the main reason behind the surge in infections
“In the last 24 hours, close to 500,000 new cases have been reported and about 9,300 deaths — now that’s not a pandemic that’s slowing down,” Swaminathan said.
Swaminathan said the fast-spreading Delta variant is certainly the most transmissible, most dangerous variant of Covid-19 seen so far and is the main reason behind the surge in infections.
She also said that people, either out of pandemic fatigue or compulsion, are moving out of their houses and indulging in social mixing, leading to a rise in cases. Further, many countries have eased restrictions, even announcing relaxation in safety measures like masking and social distancing, she said.
Swaminathan said while vaccination levels in some countries are reducing severe Covid-19 cases and hospitalisations, there are parts of the world that still face oxygen shortages, lack of hospital beds and higher mortality rate.
