Fauci says Delta variant ‘currently greatest threat in US to eliminate Covid-19’

Dr Anthony Fauci on Tuesday raised the alarm over the “more transmissible” Delta variant of coronavirus, calling it the “greatest threat” to the US as it now accounts for 20 per cent of the new Covid infections.

"The Delta variant is currently the greatest threat in the U.S. to our attempt to eliminate Covid-19," Dr Fauci said during a press briefing. "The good news: Our vaccines are effective against the Delta variant."

The Delta variant or B.1.617.2, first identified in India, was labelled a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organisation and has already become a dominant variant in the UK, fuelling the surge.

Dr Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said its “transmissibility is unquestionably greater" than the original variant of Covid and added that "it is associated with an increased disease severity."

“We have the tools, so let’s use them and crush the outbreak,” Dr Fauci said.

The alert from one of the leading infectious disease experts comes as the Biden administration confirmed it is unlikely to meet the president’s goal of vaccinating 70 per cent of the country’s adult population by 4 July.

According to scientists tracking the variants in the US, the Delta variant is on the way to becoming the dominant virus variant in the US.

William Lee, the vice president of science at Helix, which conducts sequencing of Covid samples under contract with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, described the variant as “dangerous.”

The researchers noticed that the Alpha variant, which first emerged in the UK, is waning while the Gamma variant and Delta variant are making up a greater number of cases.

“Delta variant is two to three times more contagious than Gamma, indicating it would quickly become the dominant strain, Mr Lee said, according to NPR. "It looks like both of them are going to slowly push out Alpha."

Dr Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also warned of more dangerous mutants emerging from the Delta variant as it spreads.

"We know our vaccines work against this variant. However this variant represents a set of mutations that could lead to future mutations that evade our vaccines," Mr Walensky said at the Tuesday briefing.

"And that’s why it’s more important than ever to get vaccinated now to stop the chain of infection, the chain of mutations that could lead to a more dangerous variant," he added.

According to CDC, about 56 per cent of the adults in the US are fully vaccinated and more than 65 per cent have had at least one shot.

The US is, however, falling short of its goal of vaccinating 70 per cents adults above the age of 27 by 4 July and it would likely take a few more weeks, indicated the White House Covid senior advisor Jeffrey Zients.

"The reality is many younger Americans have felt like COVID-19 is not something that impacts them, and they’ve been less eager to get the shot," Mr Zients said. "However, with the Delta variant now spreading across the country, and affecting younger people worldwide, it’s more important than ever that they get vaccinated."