The Delta variant remains the most dominant variant in the island having being traced in 100 per cent of the samples of coronavirus cases tested in July, the health ministry said on Saturday.

All 74 samples tested by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and a local private laboratory between July 5 and 18, detected the Delta variant, revealed the health ministry data.

The Delta (Indian) variant had also been detected in 100 per cent of the 34 samples examined between June 28 and July 1.

The analysis concerns samples from all districts in Cyprus.

Cyprus first detected the Delta variant on samples examined in the beginning of May, when the most dominant variant was the B.1.1.7 (British).

According to the ECDC, based on current trends the Delta variant will be the globally dominant strain over the coming months and has already been identified in almost all European countries.

“It will continue to spread, displacing the circulation of other variants unless a new more competitive virus emerges,” the centre said last week.

To curb the spread, Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO/Europe’s Regional Director said that countries easing public health and social measures increase access to free testing and abide by strict contact tracing procedures.

“WHO recommends that countries increase access to free of charge testing, expand sequencing, incentivize quarantine for contacts and isolation for confirmed cases, strengthen contact tracing to break chains of transmission and ensure those most at risk among our populations are vaccinated,” Dr Kluge said.

Εβδομάδα Αρ. δειγμάτων με επιτυχή αλληλούχιση Στέλεχος B.1.1.7 (βρετανική μετάλλαξη) % B.1.1.7 (βρετανική μετάλλαξη) Στέλεχος B.1.617.2 (ινδική μετάλλαξη) % B.1.617.2 (ινδική μετάλλαξη)
9/03/2021 – 18/04/2021 68 61 89.71 0.00
19/04/2021 – 25/04/2021 78 75 96.15 2 2.56
26/04/2021 – 02/05/2021 44 44 100.00 0.00
03/05/2021 – 09/05/2021 125 121 96.80 2 1.60
10/05/2021 – 16/05/2021 71 69 97.18 2 2.82
17/05/2021 – 23/05/2021 58 47 81.03 10 17.24
24/05/2021 – 30/05/2021 22 9 40.91 12 54.55
31/05/2021 – 06/06/2021 6 4 66.67 2 33.33
7/06/2021 – 13/06/2021 6 4 66.67 2 33.33
14/06/2021 – 20/06/2021 16 1 6.25 14 87.50
21/06/2021 – 27/06/2021 27 1 3.70 26 96.30
28/06/2021 – 5/07/2021 34 0 0.00 34 100.00
5/7/2021 – 11/7/2021 27 0 0.00 27 100.00
12/7/2021 – 18/7/2021 47 0 0.00 47 100.00