Delta Variant Now Accounts For More Than 93% Of U.S. COVID Cases

A "COVID-19 Drive-Up Testing" Sign Sits in the Foreground While Two Female Nurses Wearing Gowns and Surgical Face Masks Talk to Patients in their Cars in a Drive-Up (Drive Through) COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Testing Line Outside a Medical Clinic/Hospital Outd

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The Delta variant is now accounting for an estimated 93.4% of coronavirus in the United States, according to new data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

CNN reports the totals include several sub-lineages of the Delta variant, all of which are considered variants of concern, making up about 93.4% of cases reported during the last two weeks of July.

The number is reported to be even higher in certain parts of the U.S., including the region that includes Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska, where the Delta variant has accounted for more than 98% of coronavirus cases.

The data shows a significant increase over the past two months, as the Delta variants prevalence was estimated at just around 3% during the two weeks ending in May 22, CNN reports.

At that point, another variant initially identified in the United Kingdom -- Alpha, or B.1.1.7 -- remained the dominant strand in the U.S., accounting for 69% of coronavirus cases. However, recent CDC estimates report the variant now accounts for just under 3% in the U.S.

The Delta variant is reported to be "highly contagious, likely to be more severe" than previous known strains of the coronavirus and that “breakthrough infections may be as transmissible as unvaccinated cases,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


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