Low vaccination rates, a surge in Covid cases, deaths

Poorer countries with low vaccination rates are seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases and death say news reports.

The Delta variant now accounts for 95 per cent of cases in South Africa and Ninety-nine per cent of sequenced cases in Indonesia.

In South Africa, fewer than 3 per cent of the population are fully vaccinated while in Indonesia less than 6 per cent is vaccinated.

Both countries are reporting a record number of cases this month. In Indonesia alone, the total of 54,517 cases recorded on July 14 alone was four times the level in January.

According to the WHO, the same pattern is evident across much of Africa, where 1 million new cases were recorded last month. This brings the total infection in Africa to 6 million.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday warned of “devastating outbreaks” caused by the delta variant of COVID-19.

He says the new strain of the virus was infecting people “at a scorching pace.”

“Last week marked the fourth consecutive week of increasing cases of Covid-19 globally, ” Tedros says, adding that “after ten weeks of decline, deaths are increasing again.”

WHO chief warned of the danger of easing measures while many countries in the world still lack vaccines for their population.

“The current collective strategy reminds me of a firefighting team taking on a forest blaze, ” he says.

“Hosing down part of it might reduce the flames in one area, but while it’s smouldering elsewhere, sparks will eventually travel and grow again into a rolling furnace.”