New Delhi: The new delta variant of Coronavirus could account for as much as 90 per cent of the new cases registered in European Union (EU) in the coming months. The assumption was shared by bloc's disease control agency on Wednesday.
"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, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said.
The Delta variant is a key contributor to the current wave of infection in India and several other countries.
Delta Variant In United States
According to reports, the mutant has recently replaced the Alpha variant as the dominant strain in Scotland and is responsible for a notable increase in cases in the UK.
Even in the United States, Delta variant now accounts for more than 20 per cent of coronavirus infections.
Delta Plus Outbreak in India
According to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the new variant makes up more than 50 per cent of new infections in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.
Meanwhile in India, the government has alerted and advised Maharashtra, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh regarding the ‘Delta Plus variant of SARS-CoV-2, currently a variant of concern (VOC), which has been found in some districts of these states.
Delta Plus variant has been found in the genome sequenced samples received from Ratnagiri and Jalgaon districts in Maharashtra, Palakkad and Pathanamthitta districts in Kerala, and Bhopal and Shivpuri districts in Madhya Pradesh.