The new Covid-19 variant, referred to as ‘Delta’, is classified by some Researchers as being at least, 60% more transmissible than the Alpha strain.

Amongst a bunch of other strains, Delta is fast becoming the most dangerous to combat.

The strain originated from India.

Joy Research checks reveal that Delta is now present in more than 80 countries globally. 

In the UK, the variant is the most dominant - accounting for about 90% of cases.

 Out of 42 deaths in people with Delta variant infections in the UK, 23 were unvaccinated, 7 had received only one dose and 12 had received two doses more than two weeks earlier.

Focus on Ghana

• In Ghana, the West Africa Center for Cell Biology and Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) has announced the presence of the Delta strain in the country.
• This was later confirmed by the Ghana Health Service (GHS). The GHS emphasized that the variant was imported hence the need to intensify checks at our borders and ports.
• Ghana currently has about 45 strains of the Covid-19 virus.

Focus on Africa

• In Southern parts of Africa, the WHO requested the U.S to send 30 million Covid-19 vaccines to Zambia, Angola and Zimbabwe before a third wave hits. The number of deaths is doubling every week in some countries, such as Zambia
• The South African variant (Beta) is considered to be present in the countries including; Zambia, Angola, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, and the Kingdom of Eswatini as a consequence of cross-border commerce.
• The British variant (Alpha) is also common in the region, with a few occurrences of the Delta variant, found in South Africa and Zambia.

Vaccine effectiveness on the Delta strain

• At a recent White House Briefing in the U.S it was noted that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is 88% effective in preventing illness caused by the Delta strain.
• In addition, the AstraZeneca vaccine, has been shown to be 60% effective against the Delta variant, though scientists expect even greater protection against hospitalization and death caused by the strain.

Covid-19 Strains and their origin

• Alpha variant – United Kingdom
• Beta variant – South Africa
• Gamma – Brazil
• Delta – India
• Lambda – South America