The most transmissible COVID-19 variant yet, Delta, was detected in Ukraine.
A woman and a teenager who arrived from Russia tested positive and were hospitalized in Kyiv, according to the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov’s comments for the TSN news TV program.
Delta is around 60% more transmissible than the already highly infectious Alpha, also known as the “British” variant, first detected in the United Kingdom in December. It also may lead to higher rates of hospitalization. The Delta variant has already spread to at least 92 countries, and will soon become the dominant variant in the world, scientists warn.
Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council convened on June 23 to discuss threats presented by the new variant.
Ukraine might soon face a fourth wave of coronavirus infections but the Ukrainian government is worried that the medical laboratories are not well-equipped to detect the new Delta variant.
“We have four laboratories that can detect the new variant, two private and two public laboratories, but we do not have the specific tests that detect the (Delta) variant,” Danilov said, adding that Ukraine has requested help from the World Health Organization.
Delta, which was first discovered in India, is difficult to detect with conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. PCR tests can only identify some variants, but not all.
In other words, the test will detect a COVID-19 infection, but doctors won’t be able to pinpoint which specific variant it is.
There are other technologies that can detect Delta, like a new testing method that uses a robot and sequencing platform called SPAR-seq. However, it’s unclear which technologies Danilov said Ukraine is missing.
“The Foreign Ministry and Health Ministry should prepare proposals on the possibility of introducing additional controls and restrictions on travel between Ukraine and countries where the Delta strain is rapidly spreading,” said the statement published by President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office on June 23.
