Concerns are mounting over the highly contagious Delta variant, with some health experts warning it could become the dominant mutation in the U.S.which was first detected in India, has now been reported in more than 80 countries, according to the World Health Organization.
The WHO declared the Delta variant a"variant of concern" last month. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week upgraded its classification of Delta from a"variant of interest" to a"variant of concern." Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's technical lead for COVID-19, said variants of concern have demonstrated"increased transmissibility.""That means it has mutations that allow, for example, the virus to adhere to the cell and infect the cell more easily in the person," Van Kerkhove said at a WHO briefing Wednesday."If it can spread more easily than more people can get infected quickly.
Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, told ABC News'"Good Morning America" that the Delta variant"is far more contagious than any variant we have seen throughout this entire pandemic." "It also appears to be a little bit more deadly for people who get infected," he said Wednesday."And what we are seeing is, while our vaccines seem to generally hold up, we're seeing a few more breakthrough infections."
I hope someone is plotting the wave crossing borders it’s trajectory so that when a new variant comes countries know how to stop it.