Delta variant accounts for over 80 pct of Covid cases - health minister

Poland has breached the 80-percent barrier for the share of Delta variant coronavirus in new Covid-19 infections, while the Alfa variant, formerly known as the British strain, accounts for a little over 10 percent, the health minister has announced.

Adam Niedzielski said in Bialystok, northeastern Poland: "The scenario has come to pass of the Delta variant, which is a real threat in terms of generating new infections, becoming dominant."

He went on to say it is unknown how virulent this mutation of the virus is or whether it will lead to an increase in hospitalisations.

The health minister added that the number of hospitalisations in Europe caused by the Delta variant is much lower than the number of infections, which he believes is a result of the vaccination process.

In August, Poland will receive 4,176,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, 2,055,000 Moderna shots and 786,000 doses of the Johnson@&Johnson andti-Covid drug, Deputy Health Minister Waldemar Kraska told the Senate on Wednesday.

He added that to date, 17.5 million people in Poland have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19.