Mobile vaccination station on the Desert Vista campus of the Pima Community College.
Rebecca Sasnett, Arizona Daily Star
Scientists have found the first case of the Delta variant in Pima County. It is a new, highly transmissible variant of the coronavirus that is causing COVID-19.
This variant is known as B.1.617.2 and comes from India. On Tuesday, the CDC classified it as a “worrying variant,” one of the most worrying variants in circulation.
“The reason they are worrying variants is because they have a higher incidence of transmission and possibly higher morbidity and mortality,” said Dr. Theresa Cullen, Pima County health director.
Vaccines can still protect you from the Delta variant and other variants of concern.
Although Arizona and Pima County have looked at new variants in the past, this particular one has caught the attention of public health experts.
“I’m more concerned about this than the others and the reason I think is what you’re seeing in the UK,” said Cullen.
The Delta variant has delayed UK reopening plans, replacing UK-based variant B.1.1.7 as the country’s dominant variant.
Not so long ago, B.1.1.7 was the new, more transferable variant in Arizona. Now it’s the dominant variety here, and it worries Cullen to see how quickly the Delta variant B.1.1.7 has settled in the UK
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