COVID-19 Variant?

It seems as if we are finally taking the steps required for life to return back to normal. As we are still fighting the battle, America has just passed a total of 600,000 deaths in just over a year. Unfortunately, there is a new variant of COVID-19 that has caused a rapid increase in new cases and deaths. Experts are worried that this new variant will spread quickly through people that are not yet vaccinated.

The new variant is called the “Delta Variant” and was first discovered in India but has made its way into the United States and other countries. Some are expecting this new strain to be the dominant variant of COVID-19 in America. This variant appears to be much more transmissible than the Alpha strain, which was the dominant strain in America, and the UK variant. Experts say that the data available with the new strain shows it is more harmful than the Alpha strain.

What does this mean for America? As long as people continue to get vaccinated, we will be able to control this outbreak and ideally keep it minimal. The likelihood of another shut down in America is not super likely, but it is not out of the question if the rapid increase of cases continues. Luckily, data shows that the vaccines do work against the new Delta strain, so vaccinated people have less of a reason to worry. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine doesn’t have enough data provided to determine if it protects you from contracting the Delta variant, but it has been determined it decrease the severity of the case.

To prevent the spread of this new variant, it is encouraged for people to get vaccinated, and get both doses, to slow the spread. People who are not vaccinated may be facing a slightly more lethal variant of COVID-19 than the already devastating existing strain. Together we can end COVID.