Delta fuels new COVID cases in New York as officials push for vaccination – NBC New York

The highly transmissible COVID delta variant is now linked to alpha as the most dominant strain in New York City, reaching more than a quarter of positive samples tested last week, according to new health data released on Friday.

On Friday, the delta variant that first devastated India before spreading globally – and is thought to be up to 60% more contagious than this widely followed first alpha variant – accounts for 26% of City-wide samples tested over the past four weeks.

This is an increase from 17.1% in the City Variants report a week ago and 4.9% in about a month, an increase reflecting a national trend that has seen the Delta emerge as the most dominant COVID variant in the United States earlier this week.

Delta and alpha now each account for 26% of the positive samples tested in the city. Last week, delta overtook two other strains that were more prevalent than it in New York the previous week (the so-called New York City strain that first emerged in Washington Heights before spreading elsewhere, B.1.526, and gamma, formerly known as the Brazilian strain, P.1). It will likely pass alpha by next week.

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Scientific evidence has shown that the delta spreads much more easily than previous strains of the virus and has more serious consequences for those infected, prompting further pressure from all levels of government to get people vaccinated. they weren’t.

Delta, the variant that was first found in India and now in at least 104 countries, accounted for 51.7% of new COVID cases in the United States during the two-week period that s ‘ended on July 3, according to estimates recently updated by the CDC. The proportion of new cases generated by alpha was only 28.7% over the same period.

Given the relatively tiny subset of positive samples sequenced to assess potential variations in strains, the CDC and local experts estimate that the prevalence of delta, which is classified as a variant of concern, is much higher than reported.

The World Health Organization, which has called the delta the “fastest and fittest” variant to date, expects it to become the dominant form of the disease globally.

Existing vaccines are expected to protect people against delta and other variants of concern that have emerged, but with just over two-thirds of U.S. adults having received at least one dose of the vaccine and less than 59% fully immune, the increased transmissibility delta and the risk rekindled concerns.

The state said it was also reviewing new CDC guidelines on Friday allowing teachers and students to enter classrooms this fall to abandon mask wear, provided they are fully vaccinated. (Vaccines have only been approved for people 12 years of age and older).

New Jersey has previously told parents to prepare for a return to fully in-person teaching in the fall without a mask requirement. New York, on the other hand, tried to provide updated mask guidance in early June before turning back as state health officials waited for a response from the public health agency.

The number of Covid-19 cases in the United States rose 10% this week, the CDC said Thursday, due to the “hypertransmissible Delta variant” and late vaccination rates.

Overall, baseline viral levels remain well below where they were just a few months ago. Virtually all new COVID-related deaths and hospitalizations are in unvaccinated people, the White House said this week.

There are 1,000 counties in the United States where less than 30% of the population is vaccinated, according to federal officials. The White House last week deployed response teams across the United States to these high-risk communities.

New York City and state baseline viral rates have also remained low, despite the increase in delta-related cases. That said, new cases saw a slight increase last week ahead of the July 4 bank holiday weekend, an increase that can be attributed to the spread of the delta in unvaccinated communities, officials said.

In New York City, nearly 70% of adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while more than 63% are fully immune. Statewide, these figures are 72.8% and 66.2%, respectively.

Baseline viral rates are consistently at or near all-time pandemic lows in New Jersey as well. Like New York, the Garden State is monitoring variant data, and like New York, it has seen the prevalence of delta increase statewide in recent weeks.

This strain now represents 26.8% of New Jersey samples sequenced in the past four weeks, up from 15.6% a week ago and 7.3% the week before.

Gov. Phil Murphy has repeatedly declared new COVID cases, hospitalizations and deaths in New Jersey to reflect “an unvaccinated pandemic.”