CALIFORNIA, USA — The Delta variant of the coronavirus has been at the forefront of health experts’ minds since it swept through India during the latest outbreak there. Now, according to the California Department of Public Health, that same Delta variant is the dominant strain in California.
ABC10’s health expert Dr. Payal Kohli answered questions about the Delta variant.
How worried should we be?
"I’m a little bit worried about the Delta variant but mainly because we’re starting to see in countries like Israel that 50% of the cases of the Delta variant are occurring in people who have already been fully vaccinated.”
What does the fact it’s now the dominant variant in California say to you?
“What this tells me is that the Delta variant is substantially more contagious than any other variant that we’ve had so far. In fact, it is 60% more contagious than the Alpha variant, which was that variant from the UK which was already 50% more contagious than the original.”
What does the Delta variant mean for people who are vaccinated?
“It does mean even vaccinated people need to keep their guard up, and a lot of health experts are now suggesting that this is the reason vaccinated people should continue to mask indoors because we have evidence that vaccinated people can transmit the Delta variant.”
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