WHO: Delta variant spreading worldwide 'at scorching pace'

FILE PHOTO: World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus speaks during a bilateral meeting with Swiss Interior and Health Minister Alain Berset on the sidelines of the opening of the 74th World Health Assembly at the WHO headquarters, in Geneva, Switzerland May 24, 2021. Laurent Gillieron/Pool via REUTERS

GENEVA, Switzerland (Bernama): World Health Organisation (WHO) director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday warned of "devastating outbreaks" caused by the delta variant of COVID-19, saying that the new strain of the virus was infecting people "at a scorching pace."

"Last week marked the fourth consecutive week of increasing cases of Covid-19 globally, " Tedros said at a virtual press conference from Geneva, adding that "after ten weeks of decline, deaths are increasing again."

The virus variant first identified in India in October 2020 is continuing to spread around the world and has now been detected in 104 countries, he said, according to Xinhua.

Leaders around the world have responded to the new rise in infections in markedly different ways, with countries such as France adopting new restrictions while others easing them.

The United Kingdom (UK), for one, still intends to lift all restrictions on July 19.

At Monday's press conference, the WHO chief warned of the danger of easing measures while many countries in the world still lack vaccines for their population.

"The current collective strategy reminds me of a firefighting team taking on a forest blaze, " he said.

"Hosing down part of it might reduce the flames in one area, but while it's smouldering elsewhere, sparks will eventually travel and grow again into a rolling furnace."

Tedros reiterated his call on governments to share vaccines, adding that "the world should battle together to put out this pandemic inferno everywhere." - Bernama