Thread by @miamalan

[Thread]. 1. The #DeltaVariant now officially dominates in SA, according to the country's latest sequencing results:
1. Samples were collected in June
2. 48% of the genomes = Delta
3. 32% = Beta
4. Delta has been detected in all 9 provinces
(Slides = @Tuliodna and @rjlessells)

2. What are sequencing results? The coronavirus is made up of a string of genetic code. Genomic sequencing allows scientists to decode the genes of viruses and monitor how they change over time. That way they're able to figure out if there are different variants.

3. These two slides show how the May and June sequencing results compare:
1. In May, sequences were still dominated by the Beta variant (69% of samples = Beta variant; 14% of samples = #DeltaVariant)
2. In June, Delta surpassed Beta (Delta = 48%; Beta = 32%)

4. If we look at individual provinces, the #DeltaVariant is now dominant in most provinces. Here's how the variant's occurrence increased between May + June in Gauteng, Kwazulu-Natal + Western Cape. Look at how, as the weeks go by, Delta (green) takes over from Beta (blue).

5. In the Northern Cape, which reached its 3rd wave peak before the rest of SA, the #DeltaVariant was already detected in April/May (earlier than some other provinces). Look at the @mediahackza graphs + see how the wave peaked before other provinces and then dipped in late June).

6. Here's how widespread the #DeltaVariant is now across the world (Delta = purple):
1. Delta = detected in 96 countries
2. Delta = rapidly becoming dominant in many countries (so what's happening in SA, is happening elsewhere)

7. Why does the #DeltaVariant spread so fast? It has mutations that enable it to transmit more efficiently from person to person. It's the most transmissible variant we know of and estimated to be 2X as transmissible as the original form of #SARSCoV2 (that causes #COVID19).

8. Do SA's jabs work @ the #DeltaVariant?
1. #Pfizer: 2 shots = 88% effective in protecting @ #COVID19. Protection @ hospitalisation = 96%.
2. #JnJ: Early data suggests JnJ is more effective against Delta than Beta. Protection @ severe COVID caused by Beta = 85%.