Globally dominant since this past September, the highly contagious Delta variant drops to 40% the effectiveness of vaccines against Coronavirus transmission, stated World Health Organization director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus this Wednesday November 24, during the latest press brief.
“Vaccines save lives, but they do not fully prevent transmission. Data suggest that before the arrival of the Delta variant, vaccines reduced transmission by about 60%. With Delta, that has dropped to about 40%”, he said encouraging the people to keep complying with health guidelines and wear a facemask anywhere it is necessary.
He went on: “In many countries and communities, we are concerned about a false sense of security that vaccines have ended the pandemic, and that people who are vaccinated do not need to take any other precautions. Last week, more than 60% of all reported cases and deaths from COVID-19 globally were once again in Europe. The sheer number of cases is translating to unsustainable pressure on health systems and exhausted health workers”.
For the record, this November 23, the World Health Organization predicted an extra 700,000 deaths by spring 2022 in Europe.
