MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

COVID-19 infections back on the rise

British health authorities are concerned over the AY.4.2 or “Delta Plus” variant

COVID-19 had been relatively calm in Argentina until last week the number of cases began soaring again, with 7667 infections detected against 946 the week before.

The new figures brought to an end the downward trend of the previous 20 straight weeks, with 908 new covid cases reported Saturday alone, which raised the national count to 5,279,818.

Of that number, 18,386 patients are still active cases and 50% of them are of the Delta variant, according to health authorities. Cases are still comparatively low in Argentina, but specialists insist on continuing vaccination.

In the United Kingdom, the new Delta AY.4.2 variant is under investigation by the Health Security Agency, which is reportedly between 10 and 15 % more contagious and is already circulating in Russia, Portugal, the United States, Italy and Denmark.

In the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area (AMBA), the presence of the original Delta variant is close to 50%, according to reports and the number of cases is expected to rise, according to science experts quoted by local media.

Health authorities have insisted on the importance of vaccination, prevention and control measures.

Nationwide, the Delta variant is said to account for 30% of the cases but in some areas in the Province of Buenos Aires it can reach up to 60%.

Despite progress in vaccination, the COVID-19 pandemic is not to be overlooked. New daily cases of coronavirus in the UK surpassed 52,000 last week, the highest level since July, according to the Office for National Statistics, which showed that roughly one in 55 people in England had Covid-19 in the week ending October 16, a level last seen in mid-January.

Meanwhile, a SARS-Cov-2 variant dubbed AY.4.2 or “Delta Plus,” which was first detected last July, is under investigation by the UK Health Security Agency. The original Delta variant is still dominant in the UK, accounting for approximately 99.8% of all cases, but in the last week the new strain accounted for approximately 6% of all cases of the Delta variant, it was reported.

The “Delta Plus” variant could be between 10 and 15 % more contagious than the Delta, according to British scientists and has been identified in countries such as Russia, Portugal, the United States, Italy and Denmark.

India's Health Ministry has discovered the Delta Plus strain binds more easily to lung cells, which enntails a greater risk, although symptoms vary from one patient to another.

Experts also insisted that closed spaces, schools, businesses and means of transport must be ventilated at all times and that face masks need to be worn properly, covering both nose and mouth.