Deaths and infections continue to rise as Delta variant spreads

Dalila Hashish, News Editor, The Pawprint

Despite measures being relaxed worldwide, the pandemic is still running rampant, and numbers are still rising.

As of today, June 22 2021, the total number of people that have contracted Covid stands at 179 million, and the total number of deaths is approaching 4 million. Numbers are rising steadily, with the US recording almost 16 thousand cases yesterday, and 33.5 million infections since the beginning of the pandemic and over 600 thousand deaths. Following the US in terms of infections are India, just under 30 million cases, Brazil, with 18 million, France, with nearly 6 million, and Turkey, with over 5 million. 

The newest and most contagious variant yet is the Delta strain, which was first observed in India, and it is considered the “fastest and fittest” variant. The WHO released a statement regarding the strain, saying that it will likely “pick off” all the vulnerable people in third world countries who may not have access to sufficient vaccines. Delta is also growing to be the most dominant Coronavirus variant globally.