Delta variant beginning to assert dominance in Europe, US

PARIS • The Delta variant of the coronavirus, first found in India, now represents about 20 per cent of new Covid-19 cases in France, Health Minister Olivier Veran told a radio show, almost double its representation a week ago.

"The Delta variant now accounts for about 20 per cent of new cases... its share keeps on increasing in percentage, not in absolute terms, as the total number of cases is decreasing," Dr Veran said.

Only 509 new confirmed cases were reported on Monday and the seven-day moving average of daily new infections fell to 1,819, an almost 10-month low, against an April 14 peak of 42,225.

"(The Delta variant) is gradually becoming dominant, as it does in all countries in the world, as it is more contagious," Dr Veran said.

Germany said on Monday that new Covid-19 cases caused by the Delta variant had more than doubled over a week and that its spread has led some countries to reimpose restrictions on travel.

In the United States, after declining fast for two months, the rate of Covid-19 infections has levelled off thanks to localised spikes in under-vaccinated regions of the country, data showed on Monday.

The Delta variant has gained traction, now accounting for 35.6 per cent of sequenced cases in the past two weeks, according to the covSpectrum tracker. The authorities said it is poised to soon become the country's dominant strain.

The seven-day average of new daily cases has hovered around 11,500, or about 3.5 people per 100,000, since June 16, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

A clear divide has emerged across the country, with cases rising rapidly in communities that have low rates of vaccination.

For example, the city of Springfield in the Midwestern state of Missouri is experiencing a surge of 36.8 new cases per 100,000, and has just 35 per cent of its population vaccinated with one or more doses, a dashboard maintained by Covid Act Now showed.

On the other hand, Burlington in the north-eastern state of Vermont is seeing just 0.9 new cases per 100,000, and has 71 per cent of its population vaccinated with at least one dose. Nationally, 54 per cent of the US' 332 million people have received one or more doses, according to the CDC.

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE