The fourth wave of coronavirus has already begun in the Middle East and African countries; especially the “delta” strain of coronavirus is spreading strongly. This is stated on the website of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the Eastern Mediterranean.
At least 15 of the 22 countries in the region recorded a sharp increase in the incidence of COVID-19. In recent weeks, more than 310 thousand new cases of infection and about 3.5 thousand deaths have been registered there. The rates are particularly high in Iran, Iraq, Tunisia, and Libya.
“Most of the hospitalized people are people who refused to be vaccinated against coronavirus. If we follow all the necessary measures, there is a chance that the next wave of COVID-19 will be avoided,” says WHO representative in the region, Dr. Ahmed Al-Mandhari.
The beginning of the fourth wave of coronavirus infection has already been reported by the authorities of several European countries, in particular Finland, France, and Portugal. The “Delta” strain of coronavirus has also become dominant in the United States: almost 52 percent of cases of infection with the virus in the country are associated with this variant. At the same time, the strains “alpha” and “gamma” account for 29 and 9 percent, respectively.
