Houston: The highly contagious Delta variant has become the dominant coronavirus strain in the US, accounting for more than 51 percent of COVID-19 infections in the country, according to new data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Version, also known as B.1.617.2, was First found in India and spreading rapidly around the world. In some parts of the US, the Delta strain accounts for more than 80 percent of new infections, including some Midwestern states such as Missouri, Kansas and Iowa.
It is already causing 74.3 percent of infections in western states including Utah and Colorado, and 58.8 percent in southern states such as Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma, according to CDC estimates.
The data states, “New COVID-19 infections with delta variants now account for 51.7 percent of infections. B.1.1.7 or alpha variant accounts for 28.7 percent of cases after being a dominant variant for months It happens.”
“If ever there was a reason to get vaccinated, it’s this,” Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN on Tuesday.
The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said the variant poses a “significant risk” to unvaccinated people. He said the variant was not only more transmissible, but it could also cause more severe disease.
According to the Galveston County Health District in Texas, more than 450 adults and youth in grades 6 to 12 from the area attended a camp in Galveston County, and the health district has confirmed 57 cases.
Health officials said that out of the 57 cases reported so far, six are successful cases. Breakthrough cases are defined as someone becoming infected more than 14 days after their second COVID-19 vaccination.
“Knowing that there are only six people who got COVID after being vaccinated, I think it’s still a very small percentage,” said Annamarie Davidson, MD, of Memorial Hermann Hospital.
The county health district said 47 cases are youth and adults 12 years and older while 10 are under 12 years old.
In addition to these 57 confirmed cases, more than 90 people, including non-Galveston County residents, have self-reported to the health district that they tested positive.
“We’re testing for the delta version to see if it’s spreading so quickly among that group. It’s a good cautionary tale for other churches considering rendezvous. Be careful, especially when Most are planning rendezvous for children who have not yet been vaccinated,” said Dr Philip Keiser.
“Across the country, the rates are not that great, so there are a lot of susceptible children,” said Dr. Catherine Troisi, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the UHealth School of Public Health.
According to the CDC, one in five children between the ages of 12 and 15 are fully vaccinated. In the age group of 16 to 17 years, about one in three have received shots.
Dr. Randall Olsen, who works in the genome sequencing laboratory at Houston Methodist, where every positive COVID-19 test in the health system is analyzed, said he had identified 4 delta-type cases in late April.
“We now have 48 patients infected with the Delta variant in the Houston Methodist system,” he said.
“It’s hard to draw really strong conclusions, but it seems to be leading to more hospitalizations. It’s certainly infecting the non-vaccinated population,” he said.
Local health officials say there is growing concern about the growing number of adults and children with the delta variant.
Dr. David Purse said, “This virus has thrown every curve ball at us that we can imagine. It’s absolutely here, and there’s no reason to think it wouldn’t behave like the other types, that in other communities.” Chief Medical Officer of the City of Houston.
“It is transmitted much more easily, so each time the virus first gains the ability to transmit, the percentage of the population that needs immunity to slow it down through herd immunity increases,” They said.
“The main risk that usually occurs with COVID-19 that causes you to end up in the hospital is short-term breathing difficulties. There is a potential risk that this chance with the delta variant compared to some of the other variants increases,” said Dr. Maria Rivera with Harris County Public Health.
Rivera said the recommendations are that any child who is over the age of two who has not been vaccinated should continue to wear a mask when in public places.
Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, termed the delta variant an “overwhelming concern.”
“Anyone who hasn’t been vaccinated or previously infected and cured is likely to run out of luck. They’re about to get Delta,” Hotez said.
Texas A&M University virologist Benjamin Newman said vaccines authorized for use in the US provide protection against the delta variant, but the large number of unvaccinated individuals in Texas remains a concern.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, less than half of Texans (about 48.2 percent) over the age of 12 are fully vaccinated.
This low-information situation makes it difficult to predict how big a threat the delta variant will be.
“It really depends on what’s out there, and at the moment we’re not sure. The best you can get away with is, at least it could be really bad. I guess we just don’t know are,” Newman said.
“Mutations are how the virus responds to the world. It’s basically how they’re able to stay in the game, how they’re able to stay competitive,” he said.
“In the delta version, the mutation is a change in position in its spike protein, which allows the virus to enter and infect healthy cells. Although one strain may have advantages over others, its spread is often linked to people’s activity. Comes down,” Newman said.
Two people standing 20 feet apart from each other probably won’t transmit the virus, regardless of the type. But if a person is in close contact with an infected person, they are likely to be exposed and catch that type if they do not have immunity.
Our vaccination rate is not high enough to expect the virus to go away on its own. The more unvaccinated people there are, the more opportunities for the virus to multiply,” Newman said.
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