WHO And CDC Call The Delta Variant Of COVID-19 So Dominant, Vaccination Still Effective

Illustration of a COVID-19 test. (Wikimedia Commons/Navy Medicine)

JAKARTA - The Delta variant has become the dominant variant of COVID-19 in the United States (US), according to data modeling conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

According to the health agency's estimates, the Delta variant became dominant in the country during the two weeks ending July 3, with 51.7 percent of cases linked to the variant first identified in India.

Meanwhile, the proportion of cases related to the Alpha variant, which was first identified in the UK and so far dominant in the United States, fell to around 28.7 percent.

The data, which show an estimated biweekly proportion of the most common SARS-CoV-2 lineage circulating in the United States, are based on sequences collected through the CDC's national genomics surveillance since December 20, 2020.

The Delta variant, which is becoming dominant in many countries, is more easily transmitted than previous versions of the coronavirus and can cause more severe illness, especially among young people. It has now been found in every US state, health officials say.

Illustration of COVID-19 (Wikimedia Commons/Fars News Agency/Mohsen Atayi)

So far, preliminary data suggests vaccines made by Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Moderna are largely protective against the Delta variant.

Earlier, at a press briefing Tuesday President Joe Biden cited the rapid spread of the Delta variant, urging US citizens to be vaccinated immediately, especially young people who may think they do not need to be vaccinated.

"This should make everyone think twice," said President Joe Biden, as quoted by NBCNews.

Research has shown that the COVID-19 vaccine is effective against many variants, including the Delta variant. A recent report from Public Health England, where the variant accounts for more than 90 per cent of new cases, found two doses of Pfizer vaccine to be 96 per cent effective against hospitalization.

Apart from the US, the Delta variant has been detected in 103 countries and is predicted to become the dominant variant globally.

"Based on the estimated transmission advantage of the Delta variant, the Delta variant will rapidly outperform other variants and become the dominant lineage circulating over the coming months," the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.

To note, the number of new COVID-19 cases worldwide has increased, although not significantly, after a seven-week decline, according to the WHO. Additionally, COVID-19-related deaths have also continued to decline, hitting their lowest point since October 2020.