NC officials blame Delta Variant for increasing COVID trends

[ad_1]

North Carolina’s COVID-19 numbers have started to decline, state health officials said this week. They cite the rapid spread of the delta variant, especially in counties with low vaccination rates, as the reason for the increase.

The delta variant, which is more contagious and could cause more serious illness, is rapidly replacing all other strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in North Carolina, said state epidemiologist Zack Moore.

Unless we get a new, even more infectious variant, the delta will be pretty much the only SARS-CoV-2 virus to circulate in the coming weeks, Moore said.

This has led to an increase in states’ coronavirus trends, including the number of people appearing in emergency rooms with COVID-19-like symptoms, which officials see as an early indicator of future cases and hospitalizations.

It’s unclear just how prevalent the Delta variant is in North Carolina today. For the week ending June 19, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the delta accounted for about 30% of COVID-19 cases in the state, Moore said.

But, according to Moore, people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 don’t need to panic.

In general, what we’ve seen, especially in the UK, is very high vaccine efficacy against the delta variant based on the data they have, Moore said. And then, more recently, data from Israel showed slightly lower protection against the delta variant but still very protective.

State health officials, including Moore, have said more than 99% of new COVID-19 cases in North Carolina have been in people who are not fully vaccinated, and have urged those who do not have not yet received a vaccine to receive one.

Laboratories statewide continue to monitor emerging variants and prevalent variants like the delta using a process called sequencing. The North Carolina State Laboratory for Public Health, LabCorp and others use chemicals and specialized equipment to essentially unwind genetic material from COVID-19 positive samples. Then they compare it to genetic material from other virus samples and look for mutations.

We can assess how viruses (have) changed over time, said Scott Shone, head of the state’s public health laboratory. This is where we can identify if something really came out as a variant and could ultimately be a public health consequence, or if it’s a small change that doesn’t actually cause any public health issues.

The hope, said Shone and Moore, is that by sharing the results between labs, health officials can develop a clearer picture of emerging variants.

Copyright 2021 WFAE. To learn more, visit WFAE.

COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in North Carolina have started to increase recently, and health officials say the delta variant is to blame. /

/

[ad_2]