Dangerous variant

July 10, 2021

Prime minister Imran Khan has timely cautioned the nation that the Delta plus (or Indian) variant can hurt Pakistan. He asked people to either take precautions or face another lockdown. The combination of high transmissibility, high severity, and escape from vaccination makes Delta a very dangerous variant, and once this variant enters a country, it spreads rapidly and becomes hard to contain.

The existing vaccines are slightly less effective against the Delta variant, which is spreading rapidly among young people aged between 12 and 20. The government needs to take proactive steps before Eidul Azha to avert a disaster-like situation.

Dr Najeeb A Khan

Seattle, USA