COVID-19 Delta variant

…2021 of the highly transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus quickly revealed the vulnerability of “Fortress Australia,” and Morrison shifted strategies, refocusing the government’s prevention efforts to vaccination, the slow pace of which (mocked as a “stroll out”) became the object of increasing criticism. In July Morrison presented a four-phase…

…at a time when the Delta variant, a new strain of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, was sweeping the country. Trudeau countered by criticizing O’Toole for his advocacy of a voluntary response to the pandemic grounded in frequent testing rather than aggressive (and in some circumstances mandated) vaccination.

…the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the so-called Delta variant, was sweeping the country. Meanwhile, Trudeau attacked O’Toole for advocating that federal civil servants, workers in federally regulated industries, and travelers by plane, ship, or interprovincial train be free to choose being tested for COVID-19 instead of being vaccinated. As many Canadians seemed…

In mid-2021, the Delta variant became widespread and was notably more transmissible than earlier forms of the virus, leading to increased infections, including some among vaccinated individuals, and causing significant illness, particularly in those who were unvaccinated. Later, in late 2021, the Omicron variant rapidly became the dominant…

…infections, driven by the so-called Delta variant, quickly dwarfed that of 2020; hospitals and crematoriums were filled to capacity, and vital supplies such as medical oxygen ran out. The wave peaked in May but continued to devastate the country through much of June.

…cases caused by the new Delta variant had overwhelmed the country’s health care system. Modi, who had held massive political rallies ahead of state elections in March and April, was criticized for neglecting the surge. The BJP ultimately lost the election in a key battleground state despite heavy campaigning. In…

…COVID-19 infections due to the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2, the government ramped up its vaccination drive that same month. Little was done in the ensuing months to address continued hardship and rising inflation, although Raisi’s weekly tours around the country sought to signal his determination to combat the economic crisis.

…waves of the more infectious Delta and Omicron variants of COVID-19—which crested in New Zealand in November 2021 and (exponentially more explosively) March 2022, respectively—forced Ardern to abandon her “zero COVID” policy. The focus of her government’s response to the pandemic shifted from lockdowns to an emphasis on vaccination and…

…COVID-19, the outbreak of the Delta variant in 2021 led to a massive surge in cases in May—and again in August.

…until the outbreak of the Delta variant in May 2021. That spike was contained within about two months. Although the breakout of the Omicron variant later drove up case numbers to dramatically higher levels than those of the first surge, by June 2022 more than 80 percent of Taiwanese had…