Variant Of COVID-19 Delta Starts To Mushroom In Italy

ILLUSTRATION/UNSPLASH

JAKARTA - A more contagious variant of the Delta coronavirus is starting to mushroom in Italy, according to the National Institutes of Health (ISS).

The institute released data showing the Delta variant as of June 22 accounted for about 22.7 percent of COVID-19 cases.

Based on a similar previous survey starting May 18, the Delta variant represents only one percent of cases. In contrast, the Alpha variant accounted for 57.8 percent of cases through June 22 compared to 88.1 percent from the previous period.

"In Italy, where the vaccination campaign has not yet reached adequate coverage, the spread of more infectious variants may have a significant impact," he said.

The Delta variant, which originally appeared in India in December 2020, has already spread to around 100 countries.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently warned that the Delta variant could soon become the dominant variant.

The ISS said their survey did not cover cases of all variants, but only those detected that day. It added that the Kappa variant was not found that day although a number of cases were suspected at other times.

The data also noted the spike in the Gamma variant, which was first discovered in Brazil, rose from 7.3 percent to 11.8 percent in the previous survey.

Italy has recorded 127,587 COVID-19 deaths since the pandemic emerged in February last year, making it the second highest in Europe -- after the UK -- and the eighth highest in the world. Meanwhile, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Italy reached 4.26 million.

A study released in the UK in June showed the Delta variant doubled the risk of hospitalization, but that two doses of the vaccine provided strong protection.

About 32.2 percent of Italians have received the full dose of the vaccine, while 25.6 percent are still waiting for a second dose.