There are several coronavirus variants that appeared all across the world because of the mutations in the virus. The latest cause of worry for the health experts and the public is the coronavirus delta variant spreading rapidly in the United States. According to the health officials of the US, this highly contagious strain is the cause of Covid infection in one out of five cases.
The Delta variant first reported in India and then spread in various countries all over the world. As of now, this mutant has skyrocketed the coronavirus cases in India. Therefore, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) designated this mutant as a variant of concern for the US.
The authorities have sped up the process of vaccinations in the US and, the number of coronavirus cases is dropping rapidly. Even though the data shows an overall fall in the Covid-19 cases, the increase in the number of Delta variant infections concerns the health experts. Therefore, it is still unclear if this variant will affect the progress against the coronavirus or not.
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According to Dr. Anothony Fauci, the leading health expert, the Delta variant is the biggest hurdle against fighting the pandemic in the states. Fortunately, the vaccines raise immunity against this strain so it is possible to beat this variant.
The Delta variant of the coronavirus originated in India and spread to 80 countries all across the world. According to the latest information, this mutant is responsible for nearly 90 percent of the coronavirus cases in India and the UK. This variant appeared in the US for the first time back in March. The mutant strain spread across the states ever since. Even though the Alpha variant is still the most prevalent strain, this variant is more contagious.
According to the data by the CDC, the Delta variant accounted for only 0.1% of coronavirus cases at the beginning of April. The cases rose to 1.3% in May and skyrocketed to 9.5% by June. Meanwhile, Dr. Fauci mentioned that the recent estimate suggests that the cases have increased to 20.6 perfect as of now.
The health experts suggest that the coronavirus Delta variant does not pose any health risks to fully vaccinated individuals. Over the past months, the number of hospitalizations and coronavirus positive cases decline in the US. Even though the Delta variant accounts for a large number of cases, it is unclear if it is increasing the overall percentage of coronavirus-positive cases. Hence, they suggest the authorities speed the vaccination process even further to prevent the spread of the Delta variant.
Numerous studies on the coronavirus Delta variant show that it can lead to serious illness. According to the CDC, this strain is more contagious as compared to the other variants. It is also a cause of more hospitalizations across the US. Besides, it may show resistance against some monoclonal antibody treatments.
The situation seems somehow under the control of the authorities as they rapidly vaccinate the people. But, the Delta variant might hinder the progress against Covid-19. Therefore, the experts recommend getting vaccinated as soon as possible to minimize the spread of this mutant strain.
