‘So far, 47 countries and territories in the Americas have detected at least one variant of concern and 11 have reported all four of them: alpha, beta, gamma and delta,’ Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Carissa F. Etienne warned.

She reported that the Americas´ year-old Covid-19 Genomic Surveillance regional Network keeps a close eye on the emergence and spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants throughout the region.

‘The network has been instrumental in monitoring the virus’s spread within border regions and among travelers, who are often the first to introduce variants into a country,’ Dr. Etienne said during her weekly media briefing.

Delta variant, for example, was declared among those of concern by the World Health Organization (WHO) and is currently spreading in over 110 countries.

pgh/Pll/oda / rbp