GENEVA, July 4 (AFP) - The Delta variant of the coronavirus has been found in at least 98 countries and regions, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday, adding that it's spreading quickly in countries with low and high vaccination rates.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the variant, which was first detected in India last October, is "dangerous" and continues to evolve and mutate and therefore requires constant evaluation and "careful adjustment of the public health response."
"In those countries with low COVID-19 vaccination coverage, terrible scenes of hospitals overflowing are again becoming the norm. But no country is out of the woods yet," said Gebreyesus during his biweekly press conference.
WHO's vaccination target
The WHO chief stressed that vaccination is the best way to slow the pandemic, save lives, drive a truly global economic recovery and prevent further dangerous variants from getting the "upper hand."
"I have urged leaders across the world to work together to ensure that by this time next year, 70 percent of all people in every country are vaccinated," he said.
He also called on all countries to inoculate at least 10 percent of their people as soon as possible, so as to ensure that health workers and those most at risk are protected.
This would effectively end the acute stage of the pandemic and save a significant number of lives, according to Tedros.
Meanwhile, he reiterated two essential ways for countries to push back against the new COVID-19 surges – strict public health measures and global sharing of protective gear, oxygen, tests, treatments and vaccines.
"Public health and social measures like strong surveillance, strategic testing, early case detection, isolation and clinical care remain critical. As well as masking, physical distance, avoiding crowded places and keeping indoor areas well ventilated," he said.
Vaccines are still effective
The COVID-19 vaccines currently in use are still effective against the Delta variant, according to the WHO's chief scientist, Soumya Swaminathan.
"Now, the good news is that all of the WHO emergency use listed vaccines do protect against developing severe disease, hospitalization and death due to the Delta variant," she said recently during a WHO video interview.
So far, the WHO has listed the COVID-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer/BioNTech, AstraZeneca/Oxford, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Sinopharm and Sinovac for emergency use.
But a full course of vaccination is essential to provide full immunity against the variant, she reminded.
"None of the vaccines that we have currently are 100 percent protective. So this is why even if you're vaccinated, you can get the infection. But the chances are you will get very mild symptoms or no symptoms at all, and that the chances of getting seriously ill are really, really low," she explained.
