Delta variant will likely become dominant Covid-19 strain in US

The Delta variant of Covid-19 is expected to become the dominant strain in the United States, said the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

the Delta variant is even more transmissible than the UK variant

In an interview with CNN on Friday, Dr Rochelle Walensky said that the Delta variant’s increased transmissibility could allow it overtake the Alpha variant, first identified in the United Kingdom, in the US in the coming months.

“The UK variant was more transmissible than the UK variant. That is now nearly 70% of the virus here,” she said. ” I anticipate that will be the predominant variant in the months ahead.”

Walensky reiterated that the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines offer good protection against the variant — after the second dose.

“”And studies are underway now to examine the Johnson & Johnson. We just don’t have as much data with that vaccine,” she said.

The US is reaching President Joe Biden’s goal of 70% of adults at least partially will be vaccinated by July 4, especially as demand drops off.

(CNN)