A SHAPE-SHIFTING ENEMY

COVID-19/ MUTATIONS OF CONCERN

- Sonali Acharjee

It is now accepted that the ‘Delta’ variant of the Covid-19 virus was the main cause of India’s deadly second wave in May 2021. This variant, found in only 52 districts in March this year, had rapidly spread to 174 districts by June. It has since spread to 92 countries around the world. Even countries that have already vaccinated large percentages of their populations now find themselves battling fresh waves of infections. In the United Kingdom, for example, about 44 million people—over 80 per cent of the adult population— have been given at least one dose of the vaccine; about 32 million have received two doses. Nonetheless, the Delta variant has sparked a new wave of cases, accounting for more than 90 per cent of all new infections.