Fauci: Delta variant is ‘greatest threat’ to ending COVID-19 pandemic

• Dr. Anthony Fauci said the Delta variant is currently the greatest threat in the US.

• The variant could become the dominant strain within weeks, research says.

• It’s especially dangerous among unvaccinated and young people.

White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday that the Delta variant of COVID-19, which first emerged in India, is quickly becoming a problem in the US.

It is now the “greatest threat” to ending COVID-19 in the US and accounts for roughly 20% of newly diagnosed cases in the country — twice as many as we had on June 5.

But there’s good news, too: “Our vaccines are effective against the Delta variant,” he said.

It’s expected to become the dominant Covid strain in weeks

In an interview with NBC’s “Today” show, Fauci said Wednesday that the Delta variant will likely follow the same destructive path as it did in the UK, where it went from a minor variant to one that now accounts for 90% of cases.

“It just exploded in the U.K.,” Fauci told the outlet. “In several weeks to a month or so it’s going to be quite dominant, that’s the sobering news.”

The strain can be found in at least 92 countries, according to the World Health Organization. In the US, the Alpha variant is currently dominant. 

As the nation starts to lower its masks and remove COVID-related restrictions, the Delta variant could pose a problem in the recovery moving forward — especially for young and unvaccinated people.

Biden asks everyone to get vaccinated

President Joe Biden urged Americans to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as they can — especially since the Delta variant is highly transmissible and “particular dangerous” for young people.

Biden said that variant “will leave unvaccinated people even more vulnerable than they were a month ago,” warning that it’s “potentially deadlier” than other strains.

“Please, please if you have one shot, get the second shot as soon as you can,” Biden said.

On Tuesday, Fauci said under-vaccinated people and under-vaccinated regions in the US were most worrisome. Individuals 18 to 26 were singled out, but Fauci warned “any age of an unvaccinated person is someone we need to get vaccinated.”

Which vaccines work against it?

Current vaccines in the US — including those from Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Moderna — are effective at keeping most people protected against the Delta and other variants, Fauci said. 

The US has fully vaccinated 150 million people, but Biden’s goal of having at least one shot in 70% of US adults by the Fourth of July won’t happen.