The Delta variant of Covid-19 is soon to become the most dominant strain of the virus across the globe, Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh of the World Health Organisation said on Monday.
Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, regional director of the World Health Organisation - South-East Asia, on Monday said that the Delta variant of the coronavirus will soon become the most dominant strain of Covid-19 across the globe.
"The Delta variant of the coronavirus has now spread to more than a hundred countries. The way it is spreading, it will soon become the most dominant strain globally," she said. The Delta variant has reportedly reached the UK, US, Singapore and many other nations.
According to a Reuters report, US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci had said earlier this week that the Delta variant is now "the dominant variant worldwide".
DELTA SPREADS RAPIDLY
Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh of the WHO also said that the Delta variant spreads most rapidly among all the variants of concern.
In the same vein, Dr NK Arora said on Monday that the Delta variant is around 40-60 per cent more transmissible than its predecessor, the Alpha variant. Dr NK Arora is the co-chair of the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG).
Explaining the reason behind the higher transmissibility of the Delta variant, Dr Arora said, "The Delta variant has mutations in its spike protein that helps it bind to the ACE2 receptors present on the surface of the cells more firmly, making it more transmissible and capable of evading the body's immunity."
The Delta variant was first identified in October last year in India. It is believed to be primarily responsible for the second wave in the country, accounting for over 80 per cent of Covid-19 cases. It emerged in Maharashtra and travelled northwards along the western states of the country before entering the central and the eastern states.
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