By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT

tsmith-cartwright@tribunemedia.net

A PAN American Health Organization official said there is evidence the Alpha variant of COVID-19 has infected Bahamians, but there is no evidence the highly contagious Delta strain is here.

During PAHO’s weekly webinar yesterday, Dr Jairo Mendez Rico, PAHO’s virology advisor, said although the Delta virus has not been detected, surveillance units must remain on the lookout for it.

“Several samples from The Bahamas have been sent to the lab in Brazil,” said Dr Rico. “According to the most recent information, the Alpha variant of concern has been detected in most of the samples together with other variants with less proportion.

“So far there is no evidence of the Delta variant in The Bahamas. Nevertheless, the surveillance unit should be mandated to detect the possibility of the Delta or any other variant.”

According to the World Health Organization, the Delta variant is the “fastest and fittest” variant yet. It is said to be as much as 50 percent to 60 percent more transmissible than the Alpha variant which was already 50 percent more transmissible than the original strain of COVID-19.

WHO officials say the Delta variant poses a serious risk to people who are not fully vaccinated, as it is highly contagious. There is also some indication the Delta variant may result in more severe symptoms.

Although a slight decrease was seen in the region, PAHO director, D. Carissa Etienne said infection rates in the region continue to be very high.

“Over the last week, our region reported over 967,000 new cases and 22,000 deaths, a slight decrease from the previous week,” Dr Etienne said. “More and more, disease trends are showing a region divided by vaccine access. In countries with adequate vaccine supply, infections are decreasing; in places where vaccine coverage is still low, infections remain high.

“COVID infections are decreasing across Canada and most of the US. The US states that are reporting increases are the ones with lower vaccination rates, demonstrating the importance of vaccines to control this virus.

“Several countries like Honduras and Haiti have yet to reach even one percent (vaccination rate). And while vaccine donations are on their way to these countries, vaccine coverage remains dangerously low in many more countries across our region.”

On the subject of variants, Dr Etienne said any virus has only one goal and that is to multiply and COVID-19 is no different.

“That’s why they often adapt to become less dangerous but more contagious over time,” she said. “And that’s what we’re seeing with the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. Many of today’s variants of concern spread more easily, so they’re driving new infections in our region and around the world.

“So far, 47 countries and territories in our region have detected at least one variant of concern and 11 have detected all four of today’s most concerning variants: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta. New variants will emerge as long as the SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to spread.”

Just this week, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said the country was under “two pandemics,” one for the vaccinated and the other for the unvaccinated.

“The one thing the Bahamian populace must understand: we’re in two pandemics,” he said. “The vaccinated individuals are now out of the pandemic. The pandemic is finished for the vaccinated individuals. The unvaccinated individuals are still in the pandemic and, therefore, it’s essential for us to be aggressive, of which we’re doing.”

US President Joe Biden recently said, “The only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated.”

Dr Etienne had similar sentiments.

“We face a pandemic of the unvaccinated, and the only way to stop it is to expand vaccination,” she said. “Vaccines are critical, even if no vaccine is 100 percent effective. Just as important are public health measures – like physical distancing, mask wearing, avoiding crowds – and infection control measures like testing, contact tracing and quarantining.

“Together, these measures are the fundamentals of our response and they remain effective against variants of concern. COVID cases are accelerating in most Central American countries. In the Caribbean, COVID cases and deaths are spiking in Cuba, where many provinces are reporting dramatic increases in new infections. The situation is especially acute in the province of Matanzas.

“Cuba is not the only one: many smaller islands are also reporting an increase in infections. “Over the last week, Martinique has seen a tripling of cases mainly among young people in their 20s driven by large gatherings.

“These trends illustrate how COVID-19 remains entrenched within our region, particularly in countries with low vaccination coverage. And the spread of variants only makes matters worse.”

Dr Etienne said thanks to the efforts of countries across the Americas, the region has built a robust and innovative surveillance network that enables us to keep a close eye on the emergence and spread of COVID-19 variants.