The percentage of global cases of the delta variant of Covid-19 is dropping for the first time since April, while the micron percentage continues to rise. The new alternative is already in place in cases of community infection outbreaks, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Wednesday (15).
In its weekly epidemiological report, the agency said that although most of the micron cases identified since November in more than 70 countries are related to travel, there have already been outbreaks of infection for this variant in the same community.
According to the World Health Organization, the delta variant, which by the middle of the year was already prevalent worldwide and before the micron reached 99.8% of serial cases, represents 99.2% of these cases in the latest measurement by the global network of GESED Laboratories, which cooperates with WHO Global Health.
Of the 879,000 cases that the network sequenced in the lab in the last 60 days, the vast majority (872,000) were still delta variant, but micron actually represented 3,755 cases (0.4%), and a week ago this percentage was 0.1%, indicating rapid progression. .
The report adds, “The current data appears to reveal that the micron variant has evolutionary advantages over delta in transmission, and that it does so faster.
This problem was seen not only in countries with a relatively low incidence of delta cases, such as South Africa, the country where the new variant was first detected, but also in other countries where the variant was at high levels, such as the United Kingdom. The World Health Organization added.
The World Health Organization, in its analysis of Ômicron, reiterated that the variant appears to influence the effectiveness of vaccines against infection and its transmission, and that this also increases the risk of reinfection.
Independent preliminary studies by the World Health Organization have shown that Micron reduces protection against reinfection for four of the main vaccines against Covid-19, those produced by Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Janssen.
However, the variant does not appear to affect PCR tests for the virus, which can help monitor its development, while treatments for acute or critical cases of Covid-19 “should remain effective” against Micron, the WHO says. Globalism.
Charlotte Whitmore is a contributor at Mediarunsearch.co.uk, covering a broad range of topics including news, politics, business, technology, sport, entertainment, and lifestyle. She focuses on delivering clear, balanced reporting and practical information that helps readers stay informed about current events and emerging developments. Her work highlights stories that matter to everyday audiences, with an emphasis on accuracy, relevance, and accessible journalism that keeps readers connected to the issues shaping the UK and beyond.