Delta variant will lead to 70 per cent of new cases in Europe: ECDC

A health worker administers a dose of the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine during a mass vaccination drive at a housing area in Surabaya. Pic/AFP

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said that the Covid-19 Delta variant is expected to account for nearly all new cases in the continent by August.

In its latest threat assessment report, the ECDC said on Wednesday that since the Delta variant is 40-60 per cent more transmissible, it is projected to cause 70 per cent of the new infections in the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA) by early August. By late August, this figure could reach 90 per cent, Xinhua news agency reported citing the Centre as saying.

The ECDC also warned that the daily number of new cases, hospitalisations and deaths, could increase to the late 2020 levels if non-pharmaceutical measures, such as physical distancing, hand and respiratory hygiene, use of face masks, are relaxed. The ECDC said the Covid-19 vaccination campaigns must be accelerated and the second doses should also be administered as early as possible. "Unfortunately, preliminary data shows that (the Delta strain) can also infect individuals who have received only one dose of the currently available vaccines," ECDC Director Andrea Ammon said.

"It is likely that the Delta variant will circulate extensively during the summer, particularly among younger individuals who are not targeted for vaccination," she said.

Singapore to give 80,000 doses daily

Singapore will accelerate its national Covid-19 vaccination programme from Saturday and administer up to 80,000 vaccine doses daily, a 70 per cent increase from the 47,000 daily doses currently, the health ministry said on Thursday. The ramp up is due to the delivery of vaccine supplies being brought forward, The Straits Times newspaper reported.

Heart issues post vaccination detected

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that more than 1,200 cases of myocarditis and pericarditis have been reported across the country in young people who received the mRNA Covid-19 vaccines. Experts of CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices met on Wednesday to review risks of these rare heart problems in the vaccinated younger population, reports Xinhua news agency.

Oz to phase out AZ jab from Oct

The Australian government will phase out the use of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine from October, a health official said. Covid-19 Task Force commander Lieutenant General John Frewen released Department of Health projections detailing the vaccine doses each state and territory will be allocated every week for the rest of the year.

2,26,226
No. of new cases reported globally in the past 24 hours

179,723,542
Total no. of cases worldwide

38,94,122
Total no. of deaths worldwide

Source: WHO/Johns Hopkins

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