posted by mike kraft
on Tue, 2021-06-15 17:50
(CNN) The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now calls the Delta variant of the novel coronavirus, also known as B.1.617.2, a "variant of concern."
The variant of concern designation is given to strains of the virus that scientists believe are more transmissible or can cause more severe disease. Vaccines, treatments and tests that detect the virus may also be less effective against a variant of concern. Previously, the CDC had considered the Delta variant to be a variant of interest.
The CDC said the Delta variant, which was first identified in India, shows increased transmissibility, potential reduction in neutralization by some monoclonal antibody treatments under emergency authorization and potential reduction in neutralization from sera after vaccination in lab tests.
The World Health Organization classified the Delta variant as a variant of concern on May 10.
Covid-19 cases have been declining over the past few months in the United States, but there's concern that could change as the pace of vaccinations slows and the Delta variant spreads.
At a White House Covid-19 briefing last week, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci encouraged everyone to get vaccinated against Covid-19, noting that the Delta variant is was in circulation in the United States at a rate similar to the tipping point seen in the UK, where the variant is now dominant. ...
As of Sunday, the Delta variant was responsible for about 10.3% of US Covid-19 cases, according to Dr. Eric Topol, the founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, whose outbreak.info has been tracking variants throughout the pandemic.
The may not seem like a lot, but the speed with which it's spreading is a concern.
"It doubles every seven to 10 days, which means when it gets to three weeks from now, this variant will be dominant," Topol said. "That means we have two to three weeks to just go flat out with vaccination to stop this trend." ...
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