Delta Variant Dominates COVID-19 Cases In Italy

Photo illustration (Source: Antara)

JAKARTA - The COVID-19 Delta variant dominates Italy. The National Institutes of Health (ISS) on Friday, July 30 released data showing the variant has accounted for 94.8 percent of cases since July 20. The variant, which was first discovered in India in December 2020, has now become dominant in the world and caused a spike in infection rates that triggered worries about global economic recovery. In the previous survey based on data as of June 22, the Delta variant only accounted for 22.7 percent of cases. In contrast, the Alpha variant accounted for 3.2 percent of cases since July 20 versus 57.8 percent of the previous data. "It is imperative to continue systematic case tracking and complete the vaccination cycle as quickly as possible," ISS chief Silvio Brusaferro said in a statement. they do not cover all cases of the variant, but only those detected on that day. It added that the Gamma variant, which first appeared in Brazil, decreased to 1.4 from 11.8 percent in the previous survey.

The ISS also showed a "very slight increase" in cases of the Beta variant, initially detected in South Africa, which it says is characterized by partial immune circumvention. Italy has recorded 128,029 COVID-19 deaths since the outbreak hit the country in February last year. This figure is the second highest in Europe after the UK, and the eighth highest in the world. To date, 4.34 million cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in the country. As of Friday, nearly 59 percent of Italians aged 12 and over had received the full dose of the vaccine, while around 10 percent were still waiting for the second dose.