WHO Delta variant has triggered fourth wave of Covid19 in Middle East

WHO : Delta variant has triggered fourth wave of Covid19 in Middle East

The delta variant of the coronavirus has now triggered a fourth wave of the pandemic in the Middle East, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday, adding that the surge in Covid-19 infections and deaths is primarily being reported among people who are yet to be vaccinated.

The delta variant of the coronavirus has now been reported in 15 out of 22 countries in the Middle East, according to WHO. Most of the new Covid-19 cases and hospitalised patients are unvaccinated. The low rate of vaccination in the region, coupled with the increased transmissibility of the delta variant of the coronavirus, remains a major cause for concern.

Iran, Iraq, Tunisia, and Libya are the countries worst hit by the recent surge in Covid-19 cases, said the public health body of the United Nations (UN). Infections have increased by 55 percent, and deaths by 15 percent, in the last month compared to the month before. More than 310,000 case and 3,500 deaths have been recorded weekly.

“The rapid spread of the Delta variant across the Eastern Mediterranean Region and all other WHO regions is a major cause for concern. The number of new cases and deaths has increased in recent weeks. Most of the new cases and hospitalized patients are unvaccinated people. We are now in the fourth wave of COVID-19 across the Region,” said Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean.

Countries such as Tunisia, which has suffered the biggest number of Covid-19 deaths in North Africa, have been struggling to contain the outbreak. Meanwhile, more and more people elsewhere in the region continue to be infected with the virus and succumb to their deaths due to inequitable vaccine rollout, increased social mixing, and poor enforcement of public health and social measures.

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