Delta Plus Variant Was Expected by the WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) does not consider the 'Delta Plus' coronavirus variant to be a "variant of concern" because infection rates are still modest, said Chief Scientist Dr. Soumya Swaminathan.

The WHO expert told NDTV on July 1, 2021, that the 'Delta' variant is labeled as a "variant of concern" but not its mutated version—Delta Plus.

Dr. Swaminathan explained that "I think it is important that we don't panic over every new mutation. This is an expected evolution of the coronavirus."

The U.S. CDC says 'Variants of concern might require one or more appropriate public health actions, such as notification to WHO under the International Health Regulations, reporting to CDC, local or regional efforts to control spread, increased testing, or research to determine the effectiveness of vaccines and treatments against the variant.'

As of July 5, 2021, current variants of concern in the USA are included on this CDC webpage.