‘Delta’ COVID variant has health officials urging Americans to get vaccinated

Fox News medical contributor Dr. Marc Siegel reacts to the push to get more Americans vaccinated as a delta coronavirus variant spreads across the U.K.

Health officials are urging COVID-19 vaccinations as the Delta virus variant, first detected in India, has climbed to comprise 6% of infections in the U.S. and appears to be spreading rapidly among young people in the U.K.

The strain has taken a dominant foothold in the U.K., though it has also been reported in 60 countries. Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s chief medical adviser, said during a White House briefing Tuesday that the Delta variant appears to spread more readily and may pose a greater threat, such as hospitalization risk, than the original, wild-type variant.

“However, fortunately, two doses of the Pfizer vaccine and AstraZeneca appear to be effective against the Delta variant,” Fauci said. “There’s reduced vaccine effectiveness after one dose, however.”

Dr. Jonathan Javitt, CEO of NRx and adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, told Fox News that the Delta variant is just one instance of viral mutants to come threatening to reduce vaccine-induced protection.

“I think the Delta variant from India is one example of many ways this virus is going to mutate and attempt to circumvent the vaccines because that’s what viruses do,” Javitt said, later adding, “Getting everybody to a baseline level of vaccination, of course, is critical.”

Javitt emphasized the need for continued development of COVID-19 therapeutics to offer further protection in the small fraction of breakthrough cases, or illness cropping up in vaccinated individuals.

Currently, the CDC categorizes the Delta variant as one of “interest” versus one of “concern.” 

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