5 things you should know about the Delta variant

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla .– Viruses are constantly mutating so they can continue to spread.

The more a virus circulates in the population, the more it can evolve.

The most recent variant of COVID-19 is the Delta variant.

Here are five things you need to know about the Delta variant.

It is more contagious than other strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus

Early research suggests it may be more contagious than other COVID-19 variants.

The Delta variant is now the dominant variant circulating in the United States and has affected people in all 50 states.

He was labeled “worrying variant“by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Possible attributes of a variant of concern include evidence of increased transmissibility and increased disease severity.

According to the CDC, the Delta variant is responsible for 57.6% of new confirmed cases in the United States from June 20 to July 3.

This is up from 31.1% just two weeks earlier.

In May, the delta variant was responsible for only 3% of new cases in the United States, according to data from the CDC.

“Although we expected the delta variant to become the dominant strain in the United States, this rapid increase is troubling,” CDC director Dr Rochelle Walensky said recently in a White House briefing. .

COVID-19 vaccines provide the best protection against the Delta variant

Each time the virus passes to a new person, the risk of mutation increases. If the virus continues to meet vaccinated people, it cannot continue to spread.

According to the CDC, only 48.3% of Americans are fully immunized. 55.8% received at least one dose.

Meanwhile, 59.2% of Americans over 18 are fully vaccinated and 65.2% aged 18 and over have received at least one dose.

“There is a clear message going. This is becoming an unvaccinated pandemic,” Walensky said in a White House briefing Friday. “We are seeing outbreaks in parts of the country that have low immunization coverage because unvaccinated people are at risk and fully immunized communities are generally doing well. “

It is spreading rapidly around the world

The Delta variant was first identified in India at the end of last year.

He also swept across Britain.

Since then, it has been reported in at least 104 countries and is expected to be the dominant variant of the coronavirus around the world soon, according to the World Health Organization.

People who contract the Delta variant may be more likely to be hospitalized

Those who contract the Delta variant are more likely to suffer from serious illness compared to earlier variants of the virus.

“It’s frustrating because 95% of the people I see being hospitalized now with COVID-19 are not vaccinated,” said a nurse from Jupiter, who wished to remain anonymous.

“If you are not vaccinated you remain at risk and our biggest concern is that we will continue to see preventable cases, hospitalizations and, unfortunately, deaths among the unvaccinated,” Walensky warned.

There will likely be more variations to come.

Experts are constantly monitoring variants of COVID-19.

Since mutations are natural and expected, there will likely be other variations in the future.

The best thing you can do to protect yourself and help the rest of society is to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Current evidence suggests that being fully vaccinated is very effective in preventing hospitalization and serious illness.