Bartholomew County health officials are expressing concern about a potentially more contagious coronavirus variant that is now accounting for at least 1 in 10 cases in the U.S., warning that a local resurgence of COVID-19 driven by variants could happen in the fall if more people don’t get vaccinated.
The Delta variant, also known as B.1.617.2, was first detected in India and has already been detected in at least 80 countries and become the most dominant strain of the virus that causes COVID-19 in the United Kingdom.
In India, scientists estimate that it is 40% to 80% more transmissible than the U.K. variant, which is more contagious and deadly than the initial strains of the virus, The Associated Press reported.
However, the new variant has slightly different symptoms than other strains, at times mimicking a common cold before progressing to more severe illness. Some of the more common symptoms include headache, sore throat and a runny nose.
Currently, it is unknown if the new variant has been detected in Bartholomew County.
State health officials said no county-level data is available on the Delta variant. But GISAID, a database where researchers share new genomes from coronaviruses, shows at least 90 cases of the Delta variant have been detected in Indiana.
“This variant has been reported to potentially cause more severe illness and is more likely to lead to hospitalizations,” said Dr. Brian Niedbalski, Bartholomew County health officer. “…Concern remains that a fall surge can occur, primarily due to variants, if our vaccination rates don’t increase. There is also uncertainty as to how long natural immunity or immunity from vaccination will last. This remains a data point which needs to be monitored closely.”
The concerns of local health officials mirror those of other experts across the country, including some who say the Delta variant will likely be the dominant strain in the U.S. by August and pose a serious risk to those who are not fully vaccinated.
Earlier this week, the Centers for Disease Control listed the Delta variant as a “variant of concern,” a designation given when there is evidence that a variant could be more contagious, virulent, deadly or treatments or vaccines are not as effective, according to the CDC’s website.
A recent study in Scotland, where the Delta variant already is the dominant strain, found that new variant doubled the risk of hospitalization compared to the ultra-contagious U.K. variant known as B.1.1.7, according to a research letter published Monday in the medical journal The Lancet.
Niedbalski said initial reports show that the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are about 88% effective against the variant, which he said is “reassuring.”
However, tens of thousands of Bartholomew County residents have yet to be fully vaccinated, and local residents continue to die from COVID-19 infections — even as health officials say there are enough vaccines for anyone who wants one.
At least six Jackson County residents, four Bartholomew county residents and two Jennings County residents have died from COVID-19 since Indiana broadened eligibility to anyone age 16 and up nearly three months ago, according to state records.
As of Wednesday morning, just over 44% of Bartholomew County residents were fully vaccinated, including 1,758 people who received the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine. An additional 1% had received their first of two vaccinations.
