The document discusses updates about the Delta variant of COVID-19. It states that the Delta variant is more contagious and now accounts for 25% of new COVID cases in the US. It is expected to become the dominant variant in the country. The Delta variant poses the greatest threat to eliminating COVID-19 according to health officials. Research also suggests Delta is the most transmissible variant seen to date. The document also mentions a new Delta sub-variant called Delta Plus that has been reported in several countries but its risks are still unclear.

1. COVI19 UPDATES
3/7/2021
Dr Ihab Suliman

2. • A more contagious variant of the coronavirus,
known as delta, is spreading in the United
States and around the world, causing a surge
of cases in some countries and prompting
several nations to introduce new lockdowns.

3. • The delta variant, which was first identified in India,
now accounts for 25 percent of new Covid-19 cases in
the U.S., and is on track to become the dominant
version of the virus circulating in the country, according
to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• In a news briefing last week, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the
nation's leading infectious disease expert and director
of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases, called the delta variant the “greatest threat”
to eliminating Covid-19 in the U.S.

4. • Research suggests that delta, officially known
as B.1.617.2, is the most contagious of all the
known variants to date, including the highly
transmissible alpha variant that was first
identified in Britain. Public health officials in
the United Kingdom, where delta accounts for
more than 95 percent of new Covid-19 cases,
have said that the variant could be 40 to 60
percent more transmissible than the alpha
variant, though studies are ongoing.

5. • In India, researchers observed mutations
separate from delta in a sublineage of the
virus that they dubbed “delta plus.” While it
has not yet been designated a variant of
concern by the WHO or the CDC, cases
involving delta plus have been reported in 11
countries, including the U.S. It's not yet clear,
however, if delta plus carries additional risks
or is associated with increased transmissibility.

6. Delta SYMPTOMS
• Most common symptoms of Covid-19 are now
headache, sore throat, runny nose and fever
— similar to what people may experience with
a bad cold.

7. Delta Plus COVID19
• The Delta Plus, or Delta-AY.1 variant, a sub-
lineage of Delta variant, is a mutated version
of the B.1.617.2 variant or strain. This strain is
characterised by the K417N mutation in the
spike protein of the SARS-CoV2 virus that
causes the Covid-19 disease.

8. • The spike protein mutations make the Delta
variant the “fastest and fittest” variant yet,
according to the WHO. The disease caused by
this variant might also exhibit different
symptoms than the other viral mutations

9. • Is the Delta variant resistant to vaccine?
• Delta data Delta is moderately resistant to
vaccines, particularly in people who have
received just a single dose.