Delta COVID-19 Variant Continues To Evolve, 'Additional Mutation' Identified

KEY POINTS

The Delta COVID-19 variant has now spread to more than 80 countries, according to WHO
WHO is now looking into an additional mutation of the Delta variant known as "delta plus"
Health experts continue to urge people to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and its variants

The World Health Organization (WHO) is looking into another mutation of the Delta variant. Considered to be more dangerous than other strains of COVID, the Delta variant continues to spread rapidly in the United States and is a growing concern for health experts.

WHO announced Wednesday that the Delta variant of the coronavirus has now spread to more than 80 countries, constantly mutating itself along the process. This discovery has prompted health experts across the country to encourage people to get vaccinated, as the Delta variant is known to produce more severe symptoms among its patients.

In a recent report, the Delta variant, or the B.1.617.2 strain now accounts for about 10% of newly reported cases in the U.S. Because the variant is 60% more transmissible than the Alpha variant, experts are now worried that the strain might cause a new surge of cases in the country if the rate of vaccination slows down.

On top of the rising concern over the variant, authorities have identified another possible mutation of the B.1.617.2 strain. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s Covid-19 technical lead, told CNBC about the rise of another COVID-19 strain known as the "delta plus" variant.

“What I think this means is that there is an additional mutation that has been identified,” Van Kerkhove said. “In some of the delta variants we’ve seen one less mutation or one deletion instead of an additional, so we’re looking at all of it.”

Earlier this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officially declared the B.1.617.2 strain a "variant of concern." The classification came shortly after experts found that the Delta variant has the ability to cause more severe symptoms compared to other COVID-19 variants.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the chief medical advisor to the president, shared in a White House press briefing that the Delta variant now makes up the majority of the COVID-19 cases in the United Kingdom.

“We cannot let that happen in the United States,” Dr. Fauci said. The medical advisor also encouraged everyone to get inoculated as the vaccines available in the U.S. have been proven effective in fighting against COVID-19 and its various strains.