BUFFALO (WBEN) - According to research from University at Buffalo scientists, Western New Yorkers who now test positive for COVID-19 almost exclusively are contracting the delta variant.
"About 97% of the samples sequenced are the delta variant," said Dr. Jennifer Surtees. "Based on that, if people have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 recently, there's a very good chance it was with the delta variant."
Given the surge of the delta variant nationwide, this news isn't necessarily surprising, but experts are concerned at the speed with which the delta variant became dominant in the region.
"The delta variant is a highly transmissible variant," Surtees continued. "It has about 1,000-times higher viral load compared to the original version of SARS-CoV-2, and it spreads very, very quickly."
Surtees noted that the number of samples sequenced in early July from infected people in Western New York was small. She expects to see many more cases of the delta variant next week when she and her UB colleagues will sequence about 100 more samples.
The increased transmissibility of the delta variant has been seen worldwide and is now playing out nationally, with some areas experiencing the highest levels of infections they have seen throughout the pandemic.
Surtees added that an early sign of how significant a threat the delta variant is came when reports from the United Kingdom indicated that a single dose of a COVID-19 vaccine wasn't enough to protect individuals from getting sick.
"The vaccines remain very effective and are strongly protective against serious illness and hospitalizations," she said. "However, because this virus is more transmissible and we are still learning about it, it's important to add other mitigation approaches, such as masking and distancing, hand-washing, isolating, getting tested if you are symptomatic and avoiding large gatherings, especially indoors."
