Delta variant wreaking havoc in France, Germany; Norway on guard
Germany is the second country on Wednesday to have upped its guard against the Delta variant as Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the country should not risk what it has achieved in its fight against the virus amid a rise in Delta variant cases.
Delta variant of coronavirus which was first found in India has been traced in other countries witnessing a surge in such cases. As of Wednesday, the Delta variant raised concerns in countries like France, Germany and Norway.
The highly transmissible variant which the experts have termed to be more infectious than other variants is responsible for at least 9-10% of the total new confirmed cases in France, officials said. This is in sharp contrast to 2-4% of the cases seen last week in France.
Government spokesman Gabriel Attal on Wednesday said that France is on a watch for countries that can prove to be risky, adding Russia to the list.
Russia had been added to the list of countries considered by France as “high-risk” Covid zones, along with Namibia and Seychelles, Attal said.
Germany is the second country on Wednesday to have upped its guard against the Delta Variant as Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the country should not risk what it has achieved in its fight against the virus amid a rise in Delta variant cases.
"Germany's coronavirus infection levels are encouraging but cases of the Delta variant are rising and the country should exercise sound judgment so as not to risk what it has achieved," Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday.
"The pandemic is not over yet. We are still on thin ice," she told lawmakers in the Bundestag lower house of parliament.
The third country on a lookout for cases driven by Delta variant is Norway. The health minister Bent Høie on Wednesday said the Covid-19 variant can become dominant in Norway next month.
Hawaii in the US has signalled trouble due to the variant on Wednesday, confirmed the community spread of Covid-19 Delta variant.
The island state has recorded two cases on Oahu and one on the Big Island involving travel from the US mainland. One case involves an Oahu resident with no travel history. The state Department of Health said it is “investigating to determine the extent of household and community transmission.”
Acting State Epidemiologist Dr Sarah Kemble said of the four cases, only one person was vaccinated. Health experts say vaccines remain effective against the variant. Hawaii's vaccination rate is 57%.