The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) on Monday announced the presence of the COVID-19 Delta variant in Namibia.
Its Executive Director Ben Nangombe in a media statement said the ministry tasked the University of Namibia (UNAM) to conduct genome sequencing activities to determine the type of COVID-19 variants circulating in Namibia. The Delta SARS-CoV-2 VOC B.1.617.2 (Delta variant) was detected in 17 out of 18 samples analysed.
Nangome said the samples were obtained from confirmed COVID-19 cases from the Khomas Region.
He said the latest genome sequencing exercise covers the months of May and June 2021. The university carried out the task in collaboration with the Research Centre Borstel and the Robert Koch Institute from Germany.
This is the first report on the detection of the Delta variant in Namibia.
As of 03 July 2021, the Delta variant has been detected in at least 98 countries around the world and is quickly becoming the dominant strain in many countries, Nangombe said, adding that more genomic sequencing activities will be carried out in the coming weeks to determine the extent to which the Delta variant may be present in the rest of the country.
“Genomic data and epidemiological studies suggest that the Delta variant may be significantly more transmissible than other Variants of Concern (VaC), including Beta, which is 30 to 60 per cent more transmissible. It could be more transmissible than the earlier variant of concern viruses,” he noted.
Source: Namibia Press Agency
