The Delta variant has caused Covid-19 related deaths in Africa to spike by 80% in just one month, according to reports released by the World Health Organization. Africa is currently experiencing its worst death rates throughout the course of the pandemic, with unprecedented rises in fatalities. Africa reported its highest weekly rate of 6,343 last week, according to the WHO. Deaths increased by roughly 80%, from 13,242 to 24,987 in the past month when compared to statistics for the month prior. On Friday, WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus reported that the pandemic’s worsening death toll and infection rate have likely been brought upon African by the new Delta variant, which has been detected in 132 countries so far.
The variant has also spiked infections globally by 80% over the course of the past month when compared to June. Last week, four million cases were reported globally. Within the next two weeks, this number is expected to surpass 200 million, according to Ghebreyesus. He also reported that Africa is at higher risk for infections and deaths due to the lack of vaccinations available within the region.
Read More: Delta variant has spiked Covid-19 deaths in Africa by 80% in one month, WHO says
