Delta variant, WHO: “It will become dominant”

Delta variant is spreading more and more. Globally, 85 countries have reported their presence in their territories, six of which have recently been added to the list, as reported by the World Health Organization in its weekly update. “The Delta variant is significantly more transmissible than the Alpha variant and is expected to become a dominant lineage if current trends continue,” reports the WHO, explaining that on June 10 it convened a second global consultation on variants of concern and their impact. on public health interventions, as part of activities to coordinate the global response to the virus. According to experts, a continuous evolution of Sars-CoV-2 is expected and this “requires a strengthening of epidemiological and genomic surveillance”. In response, the working group on this front “is about to be formalized as the Technical Advisory Group on Sars-CoV-2 Virus Evolution (Tag-Ve), set up to monitor new mutations and variants, assess their potential impact on public health and identify and quickly coordinate the filling of research gaps related to transmissibility, gravity and neutralization. “The UN health agency has put a spotlight on the 4 variants of concern, and is lately focusing in particular on the Delta variant which continues to be reported in new countries constantly, in all WHO regions, 11 new states in the last two weeks have been added to the list of those who found it on their own territory. As for the others, the Alpha variant (new name of the mutant discovered in Gb) is still the one identified in several countries, territories or areas (170), the Beta (originally found in South Africa) in 119, the Gamma (seen for the first time in Brazil) in 71 countries. New evidence has been published on the characteristics of the Delta variant. A Singapore study showed that infection with this mutant would be associated with increased chances of oxygen requirements, ICU admission, or death. The indicators for pneumonia were also higher. Furthermore, the parameters indicate a possible higher viral load in the samples. As part of the consultation carried out by the WHO, the key message is therefore that: the public health interventions in place for Covid, including health and social measures and vaccines are still effective against current variants of concern (Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta variants). As several vaccines are in use and under development, “there is a need for coordinated decision making on the modification and administration of this tool,” explains WHO. “A new technical advisory group will review available evidence and make recommendations on vaccine modifications as needed.” “From the perspective of vaccine regulators and the 11 vaccine developers who shared their plans during the consultation – finally informs organization – work is underway to assess the need to upgrade existing vaccines. If and when this becomes necessary, it will be important to continue to work collaboratively. Furthermore, whatever strategy is used (a booster dose or a vaccine variant specific), should induce broad protection. Given the differential prevalence of variants, vaccine availability and vaccination rates, a ‘mix and match’ vaccination approach may be required. “