NEW DELHI: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that the Delta variant, the significantly more transmissible strain of COVID-19, is expected to become a 'dominant lineage' if current trends continued after it was reported in 85 countries and continues to be detected in more places around the world.

The WHO's COVID-19 Weekly Epidemiological Update released on June 22 said that globally, the variant Alpha has been reported in 170 countries, territories or areas, Beta in 119 countries, Gamma in 71 countries and Delta in 85 countries.

The global health monitoring agency in its update said that the four current 'Variants of Concern' being monitored closely, namely the Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta are widespread and have been detected in all WHO regions. It said, "The Delta variant is significantly more transmissible than Alpha variant, and is expected to become a dominant lineage if current trends continue."

Meanwhile WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has also said that the Delta variant is the most transmissible of the variants identified so far and is spreading rapidly among unvaccinated populations.

"I know that globally there is currently a lot of concern about the Delta variant, and WHO is concerned about it too. Delta is the most transmissible of the variants identified so far spreading rapidly among unvaccinated populations," Ghebreyesus has said.

The WHO update said that India reported the highest numbers of new COVID19 cases, 441,976 over the past week (June 14-20, 2021), a 30 per cent decrease as compared to the previous week. The highest numbers of new deaths were reported from India (16,329 new deaths; 1.2 new deaths per 100,000; a 31 per cent decrease).

The South-East Asia Region reported over 600,000 new cases and over 19,000 new deaths, a 21 per cent and a 26 per cent decrease respectively compared to the previous week.

"Decreasing trends in the weekly case and death incidence in the Region are predominantly associated with decreases reported in India," the update added.