WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (Talk1370.com) -- The highly-transmissible Delta variant of COVID-19 has been identified in Williamson County, officials announced Friday.
Officials with the Williamson County and Cities Health District (WCCHD) announced the cases Friday morning - the first cases to be officially reported in Central Texas.
"It is not surprising to see the Delta variant in our community given how rapidly it spreads,” said WCCHD Lead Epidemiologist Allison Stewart. "The good news is that the mRNA vaccines have been proven to be highly effective against this variant. The concern locally is that we have more than half the county that isn’t vaccinated and whom are still highly susceptible to this variant."
According to DSHS data, just under 57% of Williamson County's residents age 12 and over are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
As of June 23, DSHS reported 25 known Delta cases across the state. Experts have said the variant could become the dominant strain in the U.S. by the beginning of August.
Officials say the Delta variant is approximately 60% more transmissible than the B.1.1.7 variant that was found in the United Kingdom in late 2020.