Delta variant spread in US prompts reconsideration of precautions: Dr Fauci

 During a broadcast interview, the head of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said he’s “quite concerned” about the Delta variant in the US

Washington [US], July 1 (ANI): The highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus is the greatest threat to the United States’ attempt to eradicate COVID-19, White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci said on Wednesday. During a broadcast interview, the head of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said he’s “quite concerned” about the Delta variant in the US. Dr Fauci told US media that the delta variant can spread “much more efficiently” and “cause more severe disease”.

“The Delta variant has the capability of spreading much more efficiently from person to person. It also can cause more severe disease. So there are two things about it that are troublesome,” said the top US COVID-19 expert. Fauci further said that the good news is that COVID-19 vaccines have shown to be very effective against the strain and urged those who have yet to be vaccinated to do so. He said, “The good news about this is that the vaccines that are used in this country do very well against the Delta variant.”

He also stressed that “people who are unvaccinated are at significant risk of a virus that spreads so efficiently,” and urged people to protect themselves. “We are asking people, almost pleading with people, if you are not vaccinated, please get vaccinated,” he said. The Delta variant, first identified in India, has also been identified in at least 85 countries. It now accounts for one in five infections in the US. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the ‘variant of concern’ – B.1.617.2 – accounts for more than one-fourth of the total active COVID-19 cases in the country and has reached nearly every state.