RI Is 1 of 8 States with Delta Plus Cases

RI Is 1 of 8 States with Delta Plus Cases

The mutation of the Delta variant known as Delta Plus that hit the United Kingdom hard with new cases has now been detected in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and six other states.

Delta Plus was first detected in the UK in September and led to a significant increase in cases.

The BBC is reporting that the Northern Ireland Public Health Agency’s deputy director of public health said while evidence was still emerging, it did not appear the variant causes more severe disease or renders vaccines less effective.

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The new Covid-19 strain is a mutation of the existing Delta variant.

The variant has been detected in at least 42 countries.

According to the BBC, "Dr. Brid Farrell said identification of cases of the variant here was inevitable at some point - particularly as society has opened up and most restrictions have been lifted."

On October 24, GoLocal outlined the impact that the new variant of Delta has impacted the United Kingdom.

As reported:

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has moved "Delta Plus" up into the "variant under investigation" category, to reflect this possible risk.

“The designation was made on the basis that this sub-lineage has become increasingly common in the UK in recent months, and there is some early evidence that it may have an increased growth rate in the UK compared to Delta. More evidence is needed to know whether this is due to changes in the virus’ behaviour or to epidemiological conditions,” UKHSA reports.

Dr. Jenny Harries, Chief Executive of the UK Health Security Agency, said, "Viruses mutate often and at random, and it is not unexpected that new variants will continue to arise as the pandemic goes on, particularly while the case rate remains high. It is a testament to the diligence and scientific expertise of my colleagues at UKHSA, and the genomic sequencing capacity developed through the pandemic, that this new variant has been identified and analyzed so quickly. However, it should serve as objective evidence that this pandemic is not over.”