Delta, the most contagious variant of the coronavirus, and slower vaccination rates have led to an increase in the number of new cases of coronavirus in some parts of the world, health officials said.
Colombia, Indonesia, Britain, Spain and the United States registered on July 13 more than 30,000 new cases each.
Officials continue to urge people to get vaccinated, saying most cases were reported in areas where vaccination levels remain low.
According to Johns Hopkins University data, confirmed infections in the U.S. doubled to an average of about 23,600 per day, on July 11th.
Cases in the United States are still at their peak of about 250,000 a day, as it was in January, but officials continue to warn of the rapid spread of the Delta variant.
The Los Angeles County registered more than 1,000 new cases on Tuesday – for the fifth day in a row. Health officials said Delta continues to spread rapidly among unvaccinated people in California.
A number of states in the US, which have relatively low vaccination rates, are experiencing disturbing trends. Alabama, where only 31 percent of the state’s population has been fully vaccinated, has seen a 75 percent increase in hospitalizations since June 20.
Other cities around the world, including Jakarta, Sydney, Seoul and Kualla Lampur, are also experiencing an increase in the number of cases attributed to the Delta variant.
Indonesia registered a record 47,899 confirmed coronavirus cases on July 13, according to the country’s Ministry of Health.
Hospitals have exceeded capacity and oxygen supplies are running low, officials in Indonesia said.
Authorities in Australia today extended the isolation of the country’s most populous city, Sydney, until July 30, after recording an increase in the number of new cases. Australia has been battling an outbreak of the Delta variant for weeks now.
Sydney’s isolation was due to end on July 16, but the state of New South Wales extended it after confirming 97 new cases on July 14. The number is higher than the day before, when 89 were registered.
“It always hurts when you say that, but we have to extend the isolation for at least another two weeks,” said Prime Minister Gladys Berejiklian.
As a result, many non-core businesses are closed, most students stay at home, and residents are allowed to go out only for essential activities and coaching.
In Turkey, authorities said the number of cases with the Delta variant has more than doubled in one week. Over 750 new cases were reported there on 13 July.
In the Netherlands as well, the Institute of Public Health said coronavirus infections have risen more than 500 per cent over the past week.
The increase follows the lifting of almost all restrictions and the reopening of nightclubs in late June.
Data from the Institute of Public Health in the Netherlands show about 52,000 cases confirmed as positive last week, compared to about 8,500 from the previous week.
The Delta variant of the coronavirsuit was first discovered in India in October 2020.
The World Health Organization declared it a “worrying option” in May. According to the WHO, a variant is classified as such when it appears to be more contagious, more lethal, or more resistant to current vaccines or treatments.
The WHO has confirmed that the current vaccines are also effective against the Delta variant./ REL
