Kurdistan Region's health ministry rolls out coronavirus Delta variant test kits

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Health authorities in the Kurdistan Region have purchased test kits to identify cases of a fast-moving variant of the coronavirus known as Delta.

Delta, or variant B.1.617.2, was first identified in India in 2020. The World Health Organization says it is a “variant of concern” as it has been demonstrated to be one of the more, if not most, contagious forms of the virus.

The Kurdistan Region’s medical authorities have not yet publicly recorded any known cases of the Delta variant, but the health ministry in March ordered arrivals from India to quarantine and banned Indian nationals from entering the region.

WHO has renamed several strains of the original coronavirus that causes COVID-19, including Alpha, which was first found in Kent, England, Beta in South Africa, and Gamma in Brazil. Previously they were named for the location where they were first detected.

In order to detect a variant, laboratories need to undertake genome sequencing, which is a detailed biological examination of the pathogen. The test is different from the standard testing for suspected coronavirus cases, commonly referred to as rapid response tests.

Delta has so far been found in nearly 100 countries, according to WHO, whose concern is about its high transmissibility.

So far, the Kurdistan Region has recorded more than 192,000 cases of the novel coronavirus, including 4,500 deaths, since the outbreak in March 2020.

The ministry on Thursday warned of a “third wave” of COVID-19 if the public health measures are not properly observed.