Travelers head to the airport wearing masks.Photo: Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via GettyTheDelta variantis now the most common form of theCOVID-19 viruscirculating in the United States,according to new datafrom the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The CDC reports thatthe highly contagious strain, also known as B.1.617.2, makes up for 51.7% of COVID cases in the U.S. as of Saturday, up from 30.4% two weeks prior.Previously, the Alpha variant made up the majority of U.S. COVID-19 cases, but it now sits at just 28.7% as opposed to the Delta strain’s 51.7%.According to the CDC, the area with the highest rate of the Delta variant (80.7%) in circulation is the HHS Region 7, comprising Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska.Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, said last week that he’s"very concerned" about the Delta variant spreadingin under-vaccinated, high-risk areas, and added that it could split the country into “two Americas”: one in which the virus is circulating widely and the other with low rates because most residents are vaccinated.“When you havesuch a low level of vaccinationsuperimposed upon a variant that has a high degree of efficiency of spread, what you are going to see among under-vaccinated regions — be that states, cities or counties — you’re going to see these individual types of blips,” he said,CNN reported. “It’s almost like it’s going to be two Americas.“News of the Delta variant’s dominance comes days after news that theJohnson & Johnson single-dose vaccinecan now provideimmunity against COVID-19 for at least eight months, as well as protection against “other highly prevalent SARS-CoV-2 viral variants” of the virus.The companyannounced on Thursdaythat during its trial, the vaccine generated a “strong neutralizing antibody response” to the widely spreading Delta variant, with 85% effectiveness.RELATED VIDEO: Nurse Whose Husband Died of COVID Is on a Door-to-Door Vaccine Crusade: “I Can Help Save Others"It is also expected to improve and continue immunity past the eight-month span of their study — reassuring the millions of Americans who have gottenthe Johnson & Johnson dose.“Current data for the eight months studied so far show that the single-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccinegenerates a strong neutralizing antibody responsethat does not wane; rather, we observe an improvement over time,” said Mathai Mammen, global head, Janssen research & development, Johnson & Johnson, in a statement. “In addition, we observe a persistent and particularly robust, durable cellular immune response.“The Johnson & Johnson study follows the lead of Moderna and Pfizer after the biotech companies also announced that their vaccines areextremely effective against the Delta variant, preventing illness 90% of the time and hospitalization or severe illness 94% of the time.As of Wednesday morning, nearly 183 million Americans (55% of the total population) have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose and 157.6 million (47.5%) are fully vaccinated, according to theCDC.As information about thecoronavirus pandemicrapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from theCDC,WHOandlocal public health departments.PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMeto raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, clickhere.
Travelers head to the airport wearing masks.Photo: Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty
TheDelta variantis now the most common form of theCOVID-19 viruscirculating in the United States,according to new datafrom the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The CDC reports thatthe highly contagious strain, also known as B.1.617.2, makes up for 51.7% of COVID cases in the U.S. as of Saturday, up from 30.4% two weeks prior.Previously, the Alpha variant made up the majority of U.S. COVID-19 cases, but it now sits at just 28.7% as opposed to the Delta strain’s 51.7%.According to the CDC, the area with the highest rate of the Delta variant (80.7%) in circulation is the HHS Region 7, comprising Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska.Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, said last week that he’s"very concerned” about the Delta variant spreadingin under-vaccinated, high-risk areas, and added that it could split the country into “two Americas”: one in which the virus is circulating widely and the other with low rates because most residents are vaccinated.“When you havesuch a low level of vaccinationsuperimposed upon a variant that has a high degree of efficiency of spread, what you are going to see among under-vaccinated regions — be that states, cities or counties — you’re going to see these individual types of blips,” he said,CNN reported. “It’s almost like it’s going to be two Americas.“News of the Delta variant’s dominance comes days after news that theJohnson & Johnson single-dose vaccinecan now provideimmunity against COVID-19 for at least eight months, as well as protection against “other highly prevalent SARS-CoV-2 viral variants” of the virus.The companyannounced on Thursdaythat during its trial, the vaccine generated a “strong neutralizing antibody response” to the widely spreading Delta variant, with 85% effectiveness.RELATED VIDEO: Nurse Whose Husband Died of COVID Is on a Door-to-Door Vaccine Crusade: “I Can Help Save Others"It is also expected to improve and continue immunity past the eight-month span of their study — reassuring the millions of Americans who have gottenthe Johnson & Johnson dose.“Current data for the eight months studied so far show that the single-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccinegenerates a strong neutralizing antibody responsethat does not wane; rather, we observe an improvement over time,” said Mathai Mammen, global head, Janssen research & development, Johnson & Johnson, in a statement. “In addition, we observe a persistent and particularly robust, durable cellular immune response.“The Johnson & Johnson study follows the lead of Moderna and Pfizer after the biotech companies also announced that their vaccines areextremely effective against the Delta variant, preventing illness 90% of the time and hospitalization or severe illness 94% of the time.As of Wednesday morning, nearly 183 million Americans (55% of the total population) have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose and 157.6 million (47.5%) are fully vaccinated, according to theCDC.As information about thecoronavirus pandemicrapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from theCDC,WHOandlocal public health departments.PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMeto raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, clickhere.
TheDelta variantis now the most common form of theCOVID-19 viruscirculating in the United States,according to new datafrom the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC reports thatthe highly contagious strain, also known as B.1.617.2, makes up for 51.7% of COVID cases in the U.S. as of Saturday, up from 30.4% two weeks prior.
Previously, the Alpha variant made up the majority of U.S. COVID-19 cases, but it now sits at just 28.7% as opposed to the Delta strain’s 51.7%.
According to the CDC, the area with the highest rate of the Delta variant (80.7%) in circulation is the HHS Region 7, comprising Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, said last week that he’s"very concerned” about the Delta variant spreadingin under-vaccinated, high-risk areas, and added that it could split the country into “two Americas”: one in which the virus is circulating widely and the other with low rates because most residents are vaccinated.
“When you havesuch a low level of vaccinationsuperimposed upon a variant that has a high degree of efficiency of spread, what you are going to see among under-vaccinated regions — be that states, cities or counties — you’re going to see these individual types of blips,” he said,CNN reported. “It’s almost like it’s going to be two Americas.”
News of the Delta variant’s dominance comes days after news that theJohnson & Johnson single-dose vaccinecan now provideimmunity against COVID-19 for at least eight months, as well as protection against “other highly prevalent SARS-CoV-2 viral variants” of the virus.
The companyannounced on Thursdaythat during its trial, the vaccine generated a “strong neutralizing antibody response” to the widely spreading Delta variant, with 85% effectiveness.
RELATED VIDEO: Nurse Whose Husband Died of COVID Is on a Door-to-Door Vaccine Crusade: “I Can Help Save Others”
It is also expected to improve and continue immunity past the eight-month span of their study — reassuring the millions of Americans who have gottenthe Johnson & Johnson dose.
“Current data for the eight months studied so far show that the single-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccinegenerates a strong neutralizing antibody responsethat does not wane; rather, we observe an improvement over time,” said Mathai Mammen, global head, Janssen research & development, Johnson & Johnson, in a statement. “In addition, we observe a persistent and particularly robust, durable cellular immune response.”
The Johnson & Johnson study follows the lead of Moderna and Pfizer after the biotech companies also announced that their vaccines areextremely effective against the Delta variant, preventing illness 90% of the time and hospitalization or severe illness 94% of the time.
As of Wednesday morning, nearly 183 million Americans (55% of the total population) have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose and 157.6 million (47.5%) are fully vaccinated, according to theCDC.
As information about thecoronavirus pandemicrapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from theCDC,WHOandlocal public health departments.PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMeto raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, clickhere.
source: people.com
