The World Health Organization is monitoring the spread of subtype AV4.2 of the Delta variant of the new coronavirus, which is becoming more and more widespread in the world.
“Since July, there has been an increase in the transmissibility of the AV.4.2 sequence,” the WHO said in its weekly update on the Covid-19 pandemic.
This subtype includes three new mutations, two of which are located in the spike protein. Sequences of AV.4.2 were uploaded to the global GISAID database from 43 countries. 93% came from the United Kingdom, where there is a gradual increase in the percentage of new cases due to it.
During the week beginning October 3, subtype AV4.2 accounted for 5.9% of all Delta-related infections in the United Kingdom.
The WHO noted that epidemiological and laboratory studies are underway to determine whether AV.4.2 is more contagious or whether it weakens the antibodies.
The Covid-19 pandemic has claimed the lives of 4.96 million people worldwide since the virus was first detected in late 2019 in China, according to a French Agency count based on official sources. In total, more than 244 million cases have been reported.
Last week the number of new cases increased by 4% compared to the previous one, with 2.9 million infections. Europe is the only region in the world where growth is recorded.
The death toll also rose by 5% as more than 49,000 people died from Covid-19.
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