The COVID-19 Delta variant has taken hold of the United States, but an infectious disease expert assures that vaccinated people do not need to worry for their health.
This week, L.A. County officials recommended that all residents wear a mask in public and indoor spaces. However, Dr. Amesh Adalja of the John Hopkins Center for Health Security believes that vaccinated Californians can go maskless.
California and much of the country has recently reopened, as states attempt to revive their economies, but the pandemic is not over. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the Delta variant is responsible for nearly a quarter of all current coronavirus cases in the United States.
"Right now you’re probably going to see differential impacts based on where the Delta variant is," Adalja explained. "In places like Mississippi, Missouri or Akansas, where there's not a lot of vaccinated people, you’re definitely going to see a surge in cases and an uptick in hospitalization."
But Adalja says no one needs to panic as there is plenty of vaccine in the United States and data exists suggesting vaccines are effective against this variant.
The impact of the Delta variant is "completely under our control," Adalja told KCBS Radio. It is just dependent on those who are not vaccinated receiving their first shot.
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