Category: D614G
Netherlands: the reproduction R rate is now 2.17 – the highest since February 2020
For the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, people in the Netherlands infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus were likely infecting at least two other people. The basic reproduction (R) number has swelled to an estimated 2.17, said Aura Timen of the RIVM. That estimate suggests 100 contagious people infect 217 others, who can in turn give the infection to 471 more individuals.
The new R-number is an estimate for June 30. It has only been higher on February 24, 2020 when the RIVM model put that number at an estimated 2.18, according to the Ministry of Health’s Coronavirus Dashboard.
The most recent genome sequencing results are showing the Delta variant at about 50% and increasing. There’s undoubtedly a lesson here for Boris Johnson and hos proposed unlocking of the UK in just 6 days time.
OurWorldinData.org is showing the R rate as over 3!
The Netherlands now has one of the HIGHEST R RATES EVER RECORDED in the pandemic. Below we have charted the very few countries that have had similar or higher R rates in the past.
UK: vaccine breakthroughs now nearly HALF of all new Covid-19 cases
India: Delta Plus Delta-AY.1 dominant in Tripura – found in 138 out of 151 coronavirus sequences
At least 138 of the 151 Covid-19 samples sent by Tripura for genome sequencing have tested positive for the Delta Plus variant, State Health Surveillance Officer Dr Deep Kumar Debbarma said. Tripura, thus, is the first state in the northeast to have recorded a case of the Delta Plus variant.
Addressing reporters on Friday evening, Debbarma said the samples were sent to a laboratory at Kalyani, West Bengal, for the virological test. “Delta Plus variant was found in 138 of the 151 samples. 10 others tested positive for the Delta variant while three cases of alpha variant were found,” Debbarma added.
UK: Oxford overwhelmed by Delta coronavirus variant in just 3 weeks
Covid cases in Oxford have increased fivefold in one week, almost entirely among 15 to 24-year-olds, according to the latest official figures. The number of positive cases rose from 175 to more than 899 in the seven days to 30 June – which saw the city’s fourth-highest number of daily cases. The rate (cases per 100,000 people) went up from 115 to 590 – an increase of 414% – over the same period. It now has the fifth-highest rate of coronavirus cases in England.
Preprint: Infectivity and immune escape of the new coronavirus variant of interest C.37 Lambda
“We also observed that the spike protein of the Lambda variant presented increased infectivity when compared with the spike protein of the Alpha and Gamma variants, both of them with reported increased infectivity and transmissibility. Together, our data show for the first time that mutations present in the spike protein of the Lambda variant confer escape to neutralizing antibodies and increased infectivity.”
“The evidence presented here reinforces the idea that massive vaccination campaigns in countries with high SARS-CoV-2 circulation rates must be accompanied by strict genomic surveillance aimed to rapidly identify new viral isolates carrying spike mutations as well as studies aimed to analyze the impact of these mutations in immune escape and vaccines breakthrough.”
Medrxiv preprint : Infectivity and immune escape of the new SARS-CoV-2 variant of interest Lambda
Preprint: The emergence of Sars-CoV-2 #coronavirus variant Lambda C.37 in South America
Photo by Paula Porto on Unsplash
Israel: 56% of serious coronavirus cases in hospitals are fully vaccinated
Eran Segal, a COVID expert and one of the top government advisers to the Israeli coronavirus cabinet said that while 56% of current serious COVID cases occur among fully-vaccinated individuals, the vaccine nevertheless remains the best possible protection against the disease.
Image by Richard van Liessum from Pixabay
Preprint: Transmission event of Delta coronavirus variant reveals multiple vaccine breakthrough infections
Here we describe a transmission of a Delta variant containing SARS-CoV-2 strain, between family members associated with events surrounding a wedding with 92 attendees, near Houston, Texas. Attendance required guests be fully vaccinated and took place outdoors in a large, open-air tent. To date, 6 individuals have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, all patients were symptomatic, one patient severely enough to receive monoclonal antibody infusion treatment (Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.) and one patient has died.
Encounter timings and viral sequence similarities suggest the strain containing the Delta variant was transmitted to wedding guests from two patients travelling from India. With no history of vaccine failure in these patients, our observations suggest these are true cases of vaccine breakthrough, mediated by the Delta variant.
Full Medrxiv Preprint: Transmission event of SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant reveals multiple vaccine breakthrough infections
Israel: Hebrew University study finds Pfizer vaccine just 70% effective against Delta variant
Israel: Pfizer vaccine effectiveness against coronavirus infection has dropped to just 64%
Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay
USA: Delta now the dominant variant in California
California Department of Public Health say 35.6% of coronavirus variants sequenced in June have been identified as Delta variant. In May, Delta accounted for just 5.6% of coronavirus cases in California and was the state’s fourth most identified variant. Delta is now more widespread than the previous dominant strain, Alpha, and accounted for 34.3% of coronavirus cases in June. Alpha was the state’s most dominant strain in April and May, outpacing the California variant, now known as Epsilon, which currently occurs in less than 2% of cases.
Photo by Mattia Bericchia on Unsplash
Delta coronavirus variant now dominant in the USA
The highly transmissible Delta variant is the most common strain of the Covid-19 virus circulating in the U.S., new data shows. An analysis of genetic sequencing data as of June 27 showed that the Delta strain, also known as B.1.617.2, now makes up about 40% of positive Covid-19 test samples.
** Outbreak.info is showing that the Delta variant has risen to about 47% in the last three weeks.
Chart courtesy of Outbreak.info
Poland: 106 cases of Delta and 12 cases of Delta Plus aka Delta-AY.1 coronavirus variant
Poland has confirmed 106 cases of the Delta and 12 cases of the Delta Plus (Delta-AY.1 or Delta with K417N mutation) coronavirus variants that originated in India, a deputy health minister has announced.
Speaking to Polish public Radio One on Friday, Waldemar Kraska presented a report on the new variants.
“I have just received a report showing that currently we have 106 confirmed Delta cases. We also have 12 confirmed cases of Delta Plus,” Kraska said.
USA/UK: 2 separate clades of Delta #coronavirus variant with K417N – AY.1 and AY.2
Image by Dimitris Vetsikas from Pixabay
Spain: 5,000 new coronavirus cases in Catalonia in one day
All epidemic indicators continue to worsen in Catalonia, Spain, where infections continue to skyrocket, with 5,206 new diagnoses in the last 24 hours and an average age that fell for the first time yesterday from 29 years and this Thursday stands at 28.7. There has not been such a high number of positives since January, after the Christmas parties, when 7,000 cases were detected in one day.
The cases confirmed by all kinds of tests since the beginning of the epidemic amount to 715,535, of which 5,206 have been diagnosed in the last 24 hours. Three deaths have also been reported. Where the indicators get worse is in the city of Barcelona and its metropolitan surroundings.
The R rate is 1.54, twelve hundredths more than Wednesday, that is, that every 100 infected infects an average of 154 people, which indicates that there is uncontrolled community transmission, while the risk of regrowth (EPG ) is still shot at 199 points, 35 more than the day before.
El Periodico report (in Spanish)
Image by Miguel Angel Romero from Pixabay
Israel: Delta variant causing an increase in recorded coronavirus cases
Some 307 new coronavirus cases were identified in Israel on Wednesday. The figure marks the highest number in over two months and according to Israeli health officials and experts might rise further next week, up to 500 or 600. However, serious morbidity remains limited and June was the month with the lowest number of Covid-19 victims since the beginning of the pandemic: Only six people succumbed to the virus.
UK: Boris goes full Bolsonaro and decides to “let the bodies pile high” by lifting lockdown restrictions completely
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in April 2021 that he ‘would rather let bodies pile high’ than impose a third national lockdown. Well it seems he is about to get his way as his new Cabinet has, despite the massive Delta wave engulfing the country, just signed off on the removal of all Covid-19 restrictions starting on the July 17th 2021.
Boris Johnson is convinced that the Covid vaccines have broken the link between high coronavirus infection rates and deaths. He is so convinced, in fact, that he is in willing to gamble with the health and lives of millions of his own citizens in order to prove it. When this complete fallacy is proved to be wrong, and we mean disastrously wrong, Boris will no doubt attempt to blame others in his cabinet, (or those that have previously departed), for these genocidal mistakes, just as he has done right throughout this entire Covid-19 crisis.
Boris has finally gone full Bolsonaro. Egged on by a few self-interested business hawks and economic hatchet-men, their only priority seems to be to put bums on seats in shabby West End theatres and fill grim suburban pubs to capacity to start raising taxes again.
We’re right back to February 2020. The discourse is, once again, about Herd Immunity, but this time the conversation is being held behind closed doors, filed away in secret reports and covered up with vile, almost Mengelian, secret school infection experiments.
There will be blood. Undoubtedly there will be more blood, more covid misery and more covid deaths than the UK has ever imagined possible.
But at least the pubs will have had a decent summer.
Israel: 50% vaccine breakthrough for #coronavirus cases in the last month
Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay
Finland: more than 200 Euro football supporters travelled back from St Petersburg with #coronavirus – probably Delta
“There are more than 200 coronavirus cases traceable to St. Petersburg across the country – THL director urges returnees from St. Petersburg to go for corona tests instead of work”
Most of the coronary infections brought by St. Petersburg travellers are in the Helsinki metropolitan area. The likelihood that the infections are due to a susceptible delta transformation is high.
YLE.fi report (in Finnish)
Image by David Mark from Pixabay
South Africa: Delta variant now dominant, hard lockdown imposed, alcohol banned
President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa imposed a hard lockdown which included a ban on the sale of alcohol from Monday.
“All gatherings, whether indoors or outdoors, are prohibited, including cultural, social and religious gatherings. Funerals and cremations will continue to be permitted but attendance may not exceed 50 people and all social distancing and health protocols must be observed,” said Ramaphosa.
“Beaches, parks will remain open, however no gatherings will be permitted at such venues.”
He said a curfew will be in place from 9pm until 4am and all non-essential establishments will need to close by 8pm.
Furthermore, travel in and out of Gauteng is prohibited. “Because of the burden in Gauteng, travel in and out of the province for leisure purposes will be prohibited. This does not include work, business of commercial travel, transit through airports or for the transport of goods.”
Photo by Kyle-Philip Coulson on Unsplash