Delta COVID Variant Accounts For 95% Of Coronavirus Cases In Singapore

The Delta variant, also known as B.1.617.2, now accounts for 95% of all COVID-19 cases in Singapore, health officials have said.

A genome sequencing of COVID-19 cases in the Southeast Asian country found that of the 449 cases caused by variants of concern, 428 were caused by the Delta strain, the health ministry said Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the ministry said that some variants, including the delta one, "are more transmissible" and they are currently conducting more research on these variants before making strategies to curb the spread of the virus.

“Studies are ongoing to get a more complete understanding of these variants and we will adjust our strategies as more information is made available,” the spokesperson said, according to South China Morning Post.

The Delta variant is said to be responsible for India’s massive coronavirus outbreak, resulting in overwhelmed hospitals and crematoriums. In early April, India’s health officials reported more than 2.2 million new cases in a single week, the highest any country has recorded in any seven-day period.

As infections soared, hospitals began turning away COVID-19 patients due to a shortage of beds, medical equipment, and oxygen supply.

“My aunt was admitted in a mid-sized hospital and after four days of treatment, her condition worsened," Mujeeb, a relative of a COVID-19 patient, said, adding: "While she was kept in an oxygen bed, she required an intensive care unit (ICU) facility and the hospital asked us to arrange for a ventilator. When we could not arrange one, we were asked to shift her to some other place.”

Responding to India’s devastating second COVID-19 wave linked to the variant, Singapore had barred visitors from the country in April and also extended quarantines at government-designated facilities.

Singapore also restricted gatherings to two people, stopped dining-in last month, among other measures to slow the virus spread.

The Delta variant has so far spread to more than 60 countries. In the UK, a surge of COVID-19 cases caused by the variant has prompted officials to reconsider plans to fully reopen their economy on June 21.

"With this variant now dominant across the UK, it remains vital that we all continue to exercise as much caution as possible," Dr. Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency, said. "The way to tackle variants is to tackle the transmission of Covid-19 as a whole," she added.

In the U.S., the Delta variant accounts for 6% of all cases, but White House infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci argued the official number could be much higher.

Delta has previously been linked to symptoms atypical of a COVID-19 infection, including severe blood clots that led to gangrene.