Samples were collected in June and July from county residents infected with coronavirus. Silesia, noted that this type of population is dominated by the delta variant, scientists say.
Currently, deltas dominate in Silesia
Scientists sequence this pathogen in a research project. It has been carried out jointly with the Gencentrum Genetic Laboratory in Sosnowiec and the Medical University of Silesia in Katowice since the end of February.
To see how the infection dynamics in the province of Silesia variants recognized as so-called alert surrogates, Gyncentrum scientists tested 17 samples taken from patients in June and July of this year.
It turns out that the only mutations that occur in it are alpha and delta, belonging to the prognostic variants. Studies have shown that the alpha variant responsible for the third wave of infection in Poland has been replaced by a more contagious delta mutation. While the former was still dominant in June, it actually disappeared in July.
Vaccinations are the best protection
“Out of the 10 samples from July, all contained the delta variant. This type is spreading rapidly, and we are already seeing an increase in the number of infections recorded in Poland. Vaccinations remain the best and only protection against the severe course of COVID-19. In this way, we don’t just care about our health We also care about others. The youngest person diagnosed with a delta variant is an 11-year-old. Because of age, he cannot be vaccinated yet.” — Emilia Moravec, deputy head of the Gencentrum Genetic Laboratory, said Thursday.
By continuously monitoring emerging sequences, it is possible to better prevent the spread of the virus and to identify outbreaks of new mutations. In the UK, every other sample is arranged. In Poland, research on this scale has not been conducted, but Gyncentrum is already able to verify variants in 4,000 samples per week. To date, 900 samples have been sequenced in the laboratory.
The results of research on the genetic diversity of MERS-CoV responsible for infection in the region indicate the course, nature and dynamics of infection in Silesia. This data is also fed to international databases, such as GISAID, Nextstrain or the European Nucleotide Archive (ENA). They monitor the occurrence of different genetic variants of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza in the world.
There is a shortage of people willing to be vaccinated, and the delta variant predominates. PM: We can vaccinate up to 5 million Poles in a week
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