The Delta variant of the coronavirus, which originated in India and has been spreading across the globe, now makes up 10 percent of all U.S. COVID cases—up from 6 percent last week, CNBC reports. The increase is not unexpected but is nonetheless concerning since the variant is highly transmissible and vaccines appear to be slightly less effective against it (though still very protective). Public health authorities have said that the U.S. is now in a race to get as many people vaccinated as possible before the Delta strain can become the dominant strain in the country, just as many states are lifting their pandemic restrictions. The World Health Organization said the variant has now been detected in 80 countries and may even have spawned a new mutation.
