The World Health Organization office in the Eastern Mediterranean region announced that the Delta mutation of the coronavirus has raised the number of infections in the Middle East and North Africa dramatically, making way for a fourth wave of the pandemic.

The director of the organization's regional office, Ahmed Al-Mandhari, said that most of the cases transferred to hospitals are not vaccinated.

He pointed out that Delta mutation was monitored in 15 of 22 countries that fall within the office’s jurisdiction, and that it causes a high number of infections and deaths in the region.

According to the World Health Organization, the number of cases in the region increased in the last month by 55 percent compared to the previous month, and the number of deaths increased by 15 percent. 

The organization referenced the lack of oxygen cylinders and beds in intensive care rooms in various countries of the region.

The World Health Organization said that the Delta mutation is becoming the dominant version in the Middle East and North Africa region.