US cautions against travel to 'highest risk' countries as Delta variant of COVID surge

The United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an advisory on Monday, placing Greece, Ireland, Iran, Kazakhstan, and the US Virgin Islands under the 'highest risk' category for COVID-19 and advised its citizens to avoid traveling there.

The updated advisory also cautions against traveling to the Isle of Man in the United Kingdom, which has been on CDC's "Do not travel" list of countries since July 19.

According to the advisory, if a country is categorized in the highest fourth level of COVID-19 risk, even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk of contracting the variants. The Delta variant is said to be as transmissible as Chickenpox and far more contagious than the common cold, Ebola, seasonal flu, etc. The authority added that the highly contagious Delta variant may cause more serious disease than previous COVID-19 strains.

As of Monday, the Delta variant is believed to be the most prevalent and fastest-spreading mutation in the world though not as deadly. This variant was first reported in India in October 2020 and has already become the predominant strain in a number of countries, including the United States. 

US grapples with Delta Variant of COVID-19

The lethal coronavirus contagion has affected children across the world, disrupting their lives and jeopardizing their health. While many countries have commenced vaccinating teens and young adults, the threat of Delta variant, according to experts, still remains nettlesome. In addendum, a new respiratory infection-RSV- is also wreaking havoc across the American territory. 

US top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci issued a dire warning on Sunday saying that more “pain and suffering” will be witnessed as coronavirus cases continue to rise across the country, fuelled by the delta variant. Since the outbreak of pandemics in the United States, it has registered a total of 35,768,924 cases and 629,380 fatalities, according to the latest tally by Worldometers. 

COVID-19 situation in the US

As of August 3, the total number of COVID-19 cases reported in the US has reached 34,811,492, according to US CDC. The total number of fatalities reported due to coronavirus stands at 608,288. According to US CDC, 345,727,128 vaccine doses have been administered against COVID-19. 

(With inputs from agency)