Delta variant spreading fast in Germany, says disease control agency

BERLIN (AA) – The highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus now makes up an estimated 84% of new COVID-19 cases in Germany, the country’s disease control agency reported on Friday.

The Delta made up less than 2% of new infections in early May, but it has spread rapidly across the country, outcompeting other versions of the coronavirus in a short time, according to the Robert Koch Institute.

In the first week of June, the new variant accounted for nearly 8% of new cases in Germany, but its share has more than doubled each week, rising to 60% of cases by the end of last month.

The recent report said the Delta variant's prevalence had risen to 84% this month, according to the latest available data on genomic surveillance.

The Delta variant was first identified in India last year, and it is up to 60% more contagious than other virus strains.

- Rise in COVID-19 cases

Germany’s daily new cases spiked to a two-week high of 2,203 on Wednesday amid a recent surge of the Delta variant in the country.

On Friday, the Robert Koch Institute reported 2,089 new cases, the second highest case count in the last two weeks.

There has been an estimated 17,800 active coronavirus cases in the country as of Friday, according to official figures.

With 34 more fatalities reported, the nationwide death toll climbed to 91,492.