Here’s what we know about coronavirus delta variants:

In the United States, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently estimates that this variant accounts for 26% of new Covid-19 cases. At least as of June 19th.

As of June 5, it accounted for 10% of the strain, and its prevalence more than doubled in just two weeks.

Genetic testing firm Helix tells CNN that Delta currently accounts for 40% of cases in the United States.

Dr. Mark Mulligan, director of the NYU Langone Vaccine Center, gave a briefing to the International Society of Antivirals in the United States on Tuesday.

Andrew Pekoshi, a professor of immunology and molecular microbiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said: , Told CNN.

“Very similar things are happening here in the United States. It seems that they are becoming the dominant pedigree in the United States.”

It’s more contagious

“Delta is the most contagious of the variants identified so far,” said Tedros Adhanom Gebreyes, director of the World Health Organization, on Friday.

The virus has a cluster of mutations, including what is known as L452R, which facilitates infection of human cells.

“I found this virus, a variant of Covid, to be highly contagious. It’s the most contagious virus I’ve ever seen,” said Dr. Vivek Murthy, President of Surgeons in the United States, on Wednesday. Told to.

“This is another serious threat, and we are witnessing it prevailing in unvaccinated people.”

The ECDC is estimated to be about 40% to 60% more contagious than the Alpha variant, about half of the contagious.

Vaccines prevent it, but not completely

Both real-life and laboratory evidence suggest that fully vaccinated people are protected from delta mutants.

“The good news is that if you’re vaccinated, and you’re fully vaccinated, it’s two weeks after your last injection,” Mercy told CNN’s Erica Hill on Wednesday. But if you haven’t been vaccinated, you’re in trouble. “

Vaccine maker Moderna announced the results on Tuesday that blood from vaccinated people swept Delta, the first Alpha, Beta or B.1.351 variants in South Africa, and Gamma or P. It has been shown that other variants such as 1 can be neutralized. ..

“Vaccines can handle it,” Mulligan said. “In most cases, there is a large cushion in circulating antibodies and other cellular responses. Vaccines can handle this.”

Also, US states with low vaccination rates have more delta variants than states where the majority of the population is immunized.

In Missouri, for example, the infection rate is about 3.5 times higher than the national average, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Also, according to CDC data, in regions including Missouri, Delta accounts for about 57.5% of cases where less than 40% of the population is fully vaccinated, compared to 47% of the total US population. I will.

However, none of the coronavirus vaccines are 100% effective, so even fully vaccinated people can become infected.

Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN’s Don Lemon on Tuesday that “you may see infected people breakthrough.”

“It’s not yet officially proven how less likely it is to send it to anyone else, including children. That’s one of the reasons you should be careful when dealing with things like: It’s a variant of Delta. ” Forch, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said.

“Millions of people have been vaccinated with COVID-19, so some of the fully vaccinated people have been exposed,” CDC spokeswoman Jade Frus said in an email on Friday. Some people get sick. “

“But people with breakthrough infections can be less severe or have a shorter illness than they would have been without vaccination.”

Prevent infection with daily measures

There is nothing about Delta variants that differ in terms of transmission method. Coronaviruses pass through the air, but through surfaces that humans can touch.

As with hand washing and maintaining surface cleanliness, masks, physical distance, and good ventilation all work to prevent infection.

It’s not clear if it’s more dangerous

Some civil servants say they believe that the Delta variant is more dangerous than other strains of the virus, but there is no solid evidence of this.

The clusters that define the delta mutation indicate that it is more contagious and can be slightly hidden from the body’s immune response. But there is no suggestion that it is more toxic and more pathogenic-it causes more serious illness.

There are no other two worrisome mutations known as E484K and N501Y. These are found in the first B.1.1.7 or alpha variants found in the UK, which swept many countries in late 2020 and early 2021. The first beta variant B.1.351 variant found in South Africa, and the P.1 or gamma variant.

“Especially peplomers have some unique mutations, suggesting that they may bind better to human cells and avoid antibody reactions targeting peplomers,” Pecos said. ..

This means that people who have recovered from an early strain of coronavirus may be more susceptible to Delta. It also suggests that antibody-based treatments may be slightly less effective. However, as clinical tests show, vaccines provoke a stronger and broader immune response than natural infections and protect most vaccinated people from serious illness and even mild infections. must.