Dr Richard Lessells, part of the team that first found the B1.351 variant last year, says he was wrong to think the Delta variant would not become the dominant variant in the country. "The data tells us that the Delta variant is less resistant to neutralisation than the Beta variant. We expect the vaccines will be more effective against the Delta variant than they were or would have been against the Beta variant," he said. The Delta variant shows how unpredictable Covid-19 isLessells said government was not to blame for the emergence of the Delta variant which is now in at least 85 other countries. READ | Delta variant in SA: Why getting your second shot of the Pfizer vaccine is so importantHe said scientists did not initially anticipate that the Delta variant would spread at its current rate.

Source: News 24 June 29, 2021 04:18 UTC