COVID-19 Delta Variant Could Become the Dominant Variant

The COVID-19 Delta variant is quickly becoming the dominant variant in the US. Even as the number of total COVID-19 cases goes down across the states due to vaccinations, of those cases, more are testing positive for the Delta variant. Since May 22, the number of Delta Variant cases has tripled.

Check out Flagship’s free resource: Stay Open Responsibly, Post-Pandemic Best Practices for Facilities Maintenance.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) shared that the percentage of Delta Variant cases on May 22 was 2.7% and by June 5 it was up to 10%. That percentage has continued to climb, and many experts theorize that the Delta Variant will quickly become the dominant variant in the US.

Genetic Variants

The Delta Variant is a genetic variant of SARS-CoV-2. There have been a number of genetic variants over the course of the pandemic. The US government interagency group developed a Variant Classification scheme that defines the classes of SARS-CoV-2 variants and rates them based on concern level. The B.1.1.7 (Alpha), B.1.351 (Beta), P.1 (Gamma), B.1.427 (Epsilon), B.1.429 (Epsilon), and B.1.617.2 (Delta) variants circulating in the United States are classified as variants of concern.

According to the CDC, a variant of concern is a variant for which there is evidence of an increase in transmissibility, more severe disease (e.g., increased hospitalizations or deaths), a significant reduction in neutralization by antibodies generated during previous infection or vaccination, reduced effectiveness of treatments or vaccines, or diagnostic detection failures.

Vaccination Effect

Tests are still being done on the Delta Variant. Current data from the UK, where the Delta Variant is calculated at approximately 90% of current COVID-19 infections, suggests that this variant transmits from person to person much easier and causes more unvaccinated people to require hospitalization. There have also been theories that the Delta Variant can evade the protection of those that only received 1 dose of a 2-dose mRNA vaccination.

Individuals that are fully vaccinated (received both doses of an mRNA vaccine or the single dose of the adenovirus vaccine AND are beyond the two-week waiting period) are less likely to need hospitalization if they contract the Delta variant.

Vaccinated individuals are still susceptible to contracting COVID-19 and any of the variants; however, their symptoms may be less severe.

Reduce the Spread

To help reduce the spread of COVID-19 or any of its variants in your facility, continue to focus on the wellbeing of your staff, improve the indoor air quality (IAQ) and ventilation within your building, use EPA-approved disinfectants, and follow safety guidelines that encourage mask-wearing (especially in mixed-vaccination groups) and washing hands thoroughly and often.

For more helpful ideas and tips for staying open and operating a facility, check out Stay Open Responsibly.