The Delta variant is now the dominant strain of COVID-19 in California.
Nearly 36% of the variants analyzed in the state last month were the Delta variant, according to data released on July 1 by the California Department of Public Health.
In May, the Delta variant comprised 5.6% of the analyzed coronavirus sequences. In June, that percentage rose to 35.6%.
State officials and public health experts have said that vaccinated people are protected from the Delta variant, which first originated in India. But the variant is highly transmissible, posing significant risk to people who aren’t vaccinated against COVID-19.
The Associated Press reported last month that the vast majority of COVID-19 deaths are now among people who are unvaccinated.
"If you’re fully vaccinated, you’re safe," Dr. George Rutherford, Director of Prevention and Public Health Group at UCSF, told KCBS Radio last Monday. "If you’re not fully vaccinated, that’s a completely different kettle of fish, and with the Delta variant you need to be very careful about exposures."
The Bay Area currently has some of the country’s highest vaccination rates, and total hospitalizations in the region increased about 1.6% on Sunday, according to state data. Alameda and Sonoma counties experienced the largest increase on Sunday, with 10 more people hospitalized in the former and six more in the latter.
Alameda (78), Santa Clara and Sonoma (39) counties lead the region in current hospitalizations.
Last week, officials in Los Angeles County recommended all residents – regardless of vaccination status – wear masks amid the rapid spread of the Delta variant.
California Public Health Officer Dr. Tomás Aragón said in a statement provided to KCBS Radio last Wednesday that businesses and local governments are free to enforce stricter rules than the state, which doesn’t require vaccinated individuals to wear masks indoors in alignment with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"The California Department of Public Health is closely monitoring the spread of COVID-19 and its variants across our state," he said in the statement. "The most important thing we can do to stop the spread of COVID-19 is ensure everyone who is eligible gets vaccinated."
Currently, all state residents who are at least 12 years old are eligible to be vaccinated.
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