The World Health Organization (WHO) warned Monday that the highly contagious Delta variant is both the fastest and fittest COVID-19 strain yet, and will harm the most vulnerable, especially in areas of low vaccination rates.
Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO's health emergencies program, stated during a press conference on Monday that Delta, which first emerged in India, has the potential be to more lethal that previous strains because "it's more efficient in the way it transmits between humans."
The WHO said Friday that Delta is becoming the dominant variant of the disease worldwide, with more than 90 countries currently confirming infection. The agency declared Delta to be a Variant of Concern last month, meaning that it has been shown to be more contagious, more deadly or more resistant to current vaccines and treatments.
WHO officials on Monday said that there are reports that Delta can cause more severe symptoms, but that more research needs to be done to confirm.
Ryan called on world leaders and public health officials to donate available COVID-19 vaccines in order to protect the most vulnerable around the world, especially health care workers.
"This particular Delta variant is faster, it is fitter, it will pick off the more vulnerable more efficiently than previous variants, and therefore if there are people left without vaccination, they remain even at further risk," Ryan warned.
The Biden administration announced Monday that it will distribute 55 million COVID vaccine doses across Latin America, Asia and Africa, with roughly 41 million being shared through the WHO's COVAX vaccination program. This is apart of the administration's pledge to donate 80 million doses of its own vaccine supply--that being vaccines developed by Pfizer (NYSE: PFE)-BioNTech (NASDAQ: BNTX), Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA) and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ)-- the by the end of June.
Still, Delta remains a concern in the U.S., with the strain making up at least 10% of all cases in the nation, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This increase in infections is being met with a slowing vaccination effort, especially amongst younger Americans.
The CDC reported on Monday that only 38.3% of U.S. adults between the ages of 18- to 29-years-old are vaccinated, compared to 80% of U.S. adults older than 65, according to analyzed adult vaccination rate by age through May 22.
In a separate study, CDC researchers surveyed people under 40 about their intention to get vaccinated. Of the more than 2,700 people surveyed, nearly half said they were unsure or do not plan to get a COVID vaccine, with 18- to 24-year-olds being the least likely to have been vaccinated and most likely to be unsure about getting a shot.
President Joe Biden urged the American public in remarks last Friday to get inoculation, warning of the risks of the Delta variant as the White House appears to be missing its July 4 vaccination target.
"The science and the data are clear. The best way to protect yourself against these variants [is] to get fully vaccinated," Biden said. "So please, please, if you have one shot, get the second shot as soon as you can so you're fully vaccinated. And if you haven't gotten vaccinated yet, get vaccinated now. Don't put it off."