What is the delta variant of COVID-19? Does the vaccine protect against it? Here's what you should know
The "hyper-transmissible" delta variant may cause more severe cases of COVID, as well, but vaccines stop it, health experts say.
The delta variant of the coronavirus has become a rising concern in the COVID-19 pandemic, and it's sweeping through the nation.
The new strain, first discovered in India, is likely the second most prevalent variant in the United States, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said during a recent media briefing. She expects it to soon overtake the alpha variant, which was first discovered in the United Kingdom.
In Iowa, the delta variant has accounted for more than half of the positive coronavirus tests that included variants of the virus over the past two weeks, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health.
"Iowans should assume it is circulating in their community,” state health department spokesperson Sarah Ekstrand said in an email to the Des Moines Register.
Here's what you need to know:
The delta variant is 'hyper-transmissible'
Scientists expect viruses to mutate in the course of a pandemic, especially one that's engulfed the globe over the past year and infected millions in the United States alone. It's the nature of the mutations that can raise worries.
In the case of the delta variant, the chief concern is that it is "hyper-transmissible," Walensky said.
"There are communities that are vulnerable and where we are now seeing surges in cases, and indeed also hospitalizations, due to what could be the spread of the Delta variant and low vaccination rates in these communities," she said.
Low vaccination rates stoke concerns
Walensky singled out the Midwest, though she didn't name any specific states, as particularly at risk to the variant due to low vaccination rates.
Statewide, 51.5% of all Iowans have received at least one dose of vaccine, and 48.1% are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. The figures include people younger than 12, the cutoff age for vaccine eligibility.
In Iowa two counties, Davis in the southeast and Lyon in the northwest, have vaccination rates below 30% of the population, according to Iowa Department of Public Health. Another 28 counties in Iowa have sub-40% vaccination rates.
Pfizer, Modern and Johnson & Johnson vaccines protect against the delta variant of COVID-19
The two-dose Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine all appear to protect against COVID caused by all of the coronavirus strains, including the delta variant.
"Our authorized vaccines provide protection against the circulating variants in this country, including Delta," Walensky said. "Vaccination is how we protect these individuals, families, and communities, and prevent severe disease, hospitalizations, and deaths from COVID-19."
She added that preliminary data shows 99.5% of U.S. residents who died from COVID-19 over the past six months have been unvaccinated.
The variants “are able to find any gaps in our protection,” Dr. Hilary Babcock of Washington University at St. Louis said, pointing to how hospital beds and intensive care units in Missouri’s least-vaccinated southwestern counties suddenly are filling — mostly with adults under 40 who never got the shots.
The delta variant may cause more severe COVID-19 symptoms
Dr. Bhakti Hansoti, an associate professor of emergency medicine and international health at Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg School of Public Health, told USA TODAY that many people infected with the delta variant experience the same symptoms of the original strain, only more severely.
That includes an increased likelihood of hearing loss, severe stomach pains and nausea, Hansoti told USA TODAY. People infected with the variant are also more likely to be hospitalized, require oxygen treatments and face other complications.
Doctors have seen an increased likelihood of hearing loss, severe stomach pains and nausea in patients infected with the new variant.
It is unclear, however, if the delta variant is deadlier than other strains of the virus, according to Scientific American.
This report contains information from the Associated Press.
Nick Coltrain is a politics and data reporter for the Register. Reach him at firstname.lastname@example.org or at 515-284-8361.