US CDC Director: "Delta Plus Variant Under Very Close Observation"

10-15% More Contagious Than Delta Variant
UK and Russia See Surge in Cases... Russia Announces Mandatory Paid Leave

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] It is known that concerns are rising about disruptions to countries' 'with COVID (gradual return to normal life)' strategies as the winter season, when COVID-19 activity intensifies, approaches.

Rochelle Walensky, Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said in an interview with NBC on the 24th (local time), "We are closely monitoring the spread of the COVID-19 Delta Plus variant currently circulating in the UK," adding, "Those who have not yet been vaccinated should get vaccinated quickly, and it is recommended to refrain from gatherings involving many people."

However, she emphasized that the risk of Delta Plus is not significantly greater than that of the currently widespread Delta variant. Director Walensky explained, "The Delta Plus variant has not yet been found to be more fatal or to reduce vaccine immunity compared to the Delta variant," and "The plan to lift travel restrictions for vaccinated individuals in the U.S. starting November 8 will proceed as scheduled."

The Delta Plus variant is a sub-variant of the Delta variant first reported in India in July last year and is currently spreading mainly in the UK and Russia. According to the Associated Press, countries where the Delta Plus variant has been detected so far include India, the UK, Russia, Denmark, Moldova and other European countries, the U.S., Israel in the Middle East, and Brazil in South America.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the BBC, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reported that 6% of new COVID-19 cases in the UK over the past month were confirmed as the Delta Plus variant. UKHSA's research indicates that the Delta Plus variant is about 10-15% more transmissible than the Delta variant.

As the spread of the Delta Plus variant intensifies, daily new cases in the UK have started to surge again. After reaching 50,000 in early July and decreasing to 26,355 on the 16th of last month, daily cases rose again to 51,412 on the 21st, returning to the 50,000 range.

Russia, where the Delta Plus variant is also spreading severely, recorded 37,678 daily new cases on the same day, more than double the 18,326 cases reported in early last month. To curb the spread, the Russian government plans to impose paid leave nationwide for all workplaces and close all businesses and stores from October 30 to November 7.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.