COVID-19: Delta Plus strain calls for urgent measures, including vaccination, says WHO representative

World Health Organization (WHO) representative to Russia Melita Vujnovic said vaccination is essential to lower the risk of spread of Delta variant of coronavirus and along with that additional safety measures like mask and social distancing are important to contain the variant.

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Geneva: Vaccination and safety measures such as wearing face masks are essential when it comes to fighting the Delta Plus coronavirus variant, World Health Organization (WHO) representative to Russia Melita Vujnovic said. "Vaccination plus masks, because just a vaccine is not enough with `Delta.` We need to make an effort over a short period of time, otherwise there would be a lockdown," Vujnovic said on the Soloviev Live YouTube show.

She explained that vaccination is essential because it lowers the probability of spreading the virus and lowers the risks of severe disease. However, "additional measures" will probably be required as well, Vujnovic warned.

Earlier in this month, the WHO included the Delta variant in its list of coronavirus variants of concern as the strain had become prevalent and has caused a resurgence of COVID-19 cases in some countries, including Russia.

India has also reported multiple cases of the Delta Plus strain, which was first discovered in March.

Earlier this week, the first death associated with the Delta Plus variant was reported in Madhya Pradesh. The COVID-19 patient was not vaccinated.