The most contagious Covid-19 variant, originating from India, has been recorded in Ghana.
The West Africa Center for Cell Biology and Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) of the University of Ghana, confirmed that the Indian variant, also known as the Delta variant, is one of the 45 variants which are currently in Ghana.
The Indian strain has caused huge spikes in India and a serious increase in cases in the UK even though large sections of the population in those countries are vaccinated.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has classified this coronavirus variant, first found in India last year, as a “variant of global concern”.
It said preliminary studies showed that this specific mutation spreads more easily than other variants.
A mutation is elevated from a “variant of interest” to a “variant of concern” (VOC) when it shows evidence of fulfilling at least one of several criteria, including easy transmission, more severe illness, reduced neutralisation by antibodies or reduced effectiveness of treatment and vaccines according to the global health body.
