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Updated July 17th, 2021 at 14:26 IST

Delta variant cause for major concern in Brazil

Health officials in Brazil's capital said they are concerned about the Delta variant of the coronavirus, which has now also been detected in Rio, but are optimistic they can stave off the worst effects by vaccinating residents as quickly as possible.

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Health officials in Brazil's capital said they are concerned about the Delta variant of the coronavirus, which has now also been detected in Rio, but are optimistic they can stave off the worst effects by vaccinating residents as quickly as possible.

Officials say they have vaccinated 68% of the population with at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccines, using Pfizer, Astrazeneca and Coronavac vaccines, which they say have shown efficacy against the highly contagious Delta Variant.

Officials said the Gamma variant, which had first been detected in the Brazilian seaside city of Manaus earlier this year, has until now predominated in the South American nation with the second highest virus related death toll.

But they say they have begun detecting the highly contagious Delta variant, which had first been identified in India, although they do not yet know how widespread it is.

Epidemiologists are hopeful rising vaccination rates will blunt the effect of the Delta variant, if not stop it from spreading altogether.

"In much of the world where the rate of vaccination is much higher than ours, with two doses even, there is a rise in cases, although there is not a rise in hospitalizations or deaths," the Vice-President of Brazil's Epidemiology Society, Alberto Chababo commented Friday about the arrival of the Delta variant.

The Brazilian Health Ministry says it has detected the Delta variant in Sao Paulo and Recife as well as Rio, but the numbers remain low for now.

 

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Published July 17th, 2021 at 14:26 IST

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