WRAL reports another COVID strain could soon become more prevalent in the United States. The Delta variant, first identified in India in October 2020, is now listed as a “Variant of Concern” by the World Health Organization.
David Wohl, MD, professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases, is among the experts who fear that could soon change, due to the fact that Delta is considered more transmissible than previous strains. Wohl says UNC Health has not identified any cases of Delta in the U.S. thus far but that it feels inevitable.
“The Delta variant is going to spread, it’s going to, and it’s up to us to determine how far and wide,” Wohl said. “And in Britain, where they are seeing the Delta variant start to emerge, they are seeing case numbers go up among the unvaccinated. That’s really, really important. And the people who are getting sick, are people who are not fully vaccinated.”
Watch or read the WRAL report here.
Wohl emphasized to ABC-11 reporters that the time to get vaccinated is now, as the Delta variant rages. He said history has shown that whatever strain is most dominant in the UK will become the most lethal here.
“We have already isolated it here in the US,” Wohl said, adding it’s not yet been detected in North Carolina. “It’s much worse than the variants we’ve seen more. It’s not make-believe, it’s real.”
Watch or read the ABC-11 report here.