The World Health Organization has said the coronavirus variant known as Delta, which was first identified in India, has already been reported in 80 countries.
On Tuesday, the WHO issued its most recent weekly Covid-19 epidemiological update.
According to the data, the number of nations, territories, and areas reporting cases with the Delta variant was up six over the previous week as of Tuesday.
It also said that the number of people reporting the Alpha variant, which was first confirmed in the U.K., is up three from a week ago, at 164. The number of cases including the Beta variant, discovered in South Africa, stayed steady at 115, while the number of cases involving the Gamma variant, discovered in Brazil, increased by four to 68.
The WHO is also keeping an eye out for recent reports of a "Delta Plus" variant.
"What I think this means is that there is an additional mutation that has been identified," Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's Covid-19 technical head said. "In some of the delta variants we've seen one less mutation or one deletion instead of an additional, so we're looking at all of it."
According to the report, while worldwide cases and deaths have continued to decline, many nations are still battling to gain access to vaccines. The report said Africa is of particular concern, as the number of new cases increased by 44%from a week before.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical advisor to the president, said last week that "we cannot let that happen in the United States," as he pushed to get more people vaccinated, especially young adults.
On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classified the Delta variant as a variant of concern in the U.S. The WHO designated the Delta variant as a variant of concern in early May.
The WHO has asked for cooperation to speed up the global deployment of vaccinations, as global mortality remains high, with more than 10,000 deaths reported every day.
