Covid-19: Delta variant causing 99% infections in the UK

 Virendra Pandit

New Delhi: The highly transmissible Delta variant of Covid-19, first identified in India, now makes up 99 percent of all pandemic cases in the United Kingdom, media reported on Friday.

The number of Delta variant infections jumped by 33,630 in a week to hit a total of 75,953 in the UK, Public Health England (PHE), a government agency, said.

The British government had postponed phased relaxations in restrictions, scheduled from June 14 to 21, by a month (until July 19) because of the Delta variant.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has classified Delta as a variant of concern (VOC).

Meanwhile, in India, a new variant of Delta-Plus was identified in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, according to media reports.

PHE, which is tracking VOCs on a weekly basis, said the data shows an increased risk of hospitalization with Delta VOC compared to the Alpha VOC first detected in the Kent region of England. It had recently said that two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine provided a “high degree of protection” against hospitalization from the Delta variant.

“PHE’s weekly Covid-19 variant cases data show that numbers of the Delta variant in the UK have risen by 33,630 since last week to a total of 75,953,” PHE reported.

“The most recent data show 99 percent of sequenced and genotyped cases across the country are the Delta variant. Data show an increased risk of hospitalization with Delta compared to Alpha, although PHE’s analysis shows that two doses of vaccine give a high degree of protection against hospitalization, estimated to be more than 90 percent,” it said.

As of June 14, 806 people were hospitalized with the Delta variant, an increase of 423 since last week. Of these, 527 were unvaccinated, and only 84 of the 806 had received both doses.

The PHE noted that deaths are not high, as the case fatality rate remains low for Delta. However, it said that deaths tend to happen some weeks after infection and it is, therefore, too early to judge the case fatality of Delta compared to Alpha or other VOCs.

“Cases are rising rapidly across the country and the Delta variant is now dominant,” said Dr. Jenny Harries, Chief Executive of the UK Health Security Agency.

“The increase is primarily in younger age groups, a large proportion of which were unvaccinated but are now being invited to receive the vaccine. It is encouraging to see that hospitalizations and deaths are not rising at the same rate but we will continue to monitor it closely,” she said.

“The vaccination program and the care that we are all taking to follow the guidelines are continuing to save lives. Please make sure that you come forward to receive both doses of the vaccine as soon as you are eligible. Don’t drop your guard, and practise washing hands, face, space, and get fresh air at all times,” she added.

The country recorded 15,893 possible reinfections with SARS-CoV-2 identified up to May 30 throughout the pandemic, out of nearly 4 million people with confirmed infections.

“While we know that people can catch viruses more than once, this data currently suggests that the rate of Covid-9 reinfection is low,” said Dr. Susan Hopkins, Strategic Director for Covid-19 at PHE.

“However, it is important that we do not become complacent about this. It is vital to have both doses of the vaccine and to follow the guidance at all times to reduce your chance of any infection,” she said.

Currently, there is no evidence that the Delta VOC, or any other VOCs, are more likely to cause reinfection than others, but that it continues to closely monitor this and other reinfection data, PHE said.

An Imperial College London-led real-time assessment of community transmission (REACT-1) study, based on over 100,000 home swab tests, reported on Thursday that the number of people infected with the Covid-19 virus is doubling every 11 days.

The Delta VOC is seen as the main factor behind a feared third wave of the pandemic in the UK, with the government delaying lifting all lockdown restrictions by a month until July 19 to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed.