Deadly Delta variant of COVID-19 is spreading rapidly in Arizona

Although COVID-19 hospitalizations are down, genetic sequencing and a recent outbreak in Maricopa County has shown the highly transmissible Delta variant of the virus is beginning to take hold in the Grand Canyon state, making up more than one in every five infections in June and accelerating rapidly.

Arizona was among the early leaders in vaccination rates, but efforts to inoculate the state’s residents has plateaued since May. Now, with Arizona lagging the nation in vaccinations, the state is currently averaging approximately 500 new cases of COVID-19 a day, several times greater than more populated states like New York and Massachusetts, which are averaging between 80 to 130 cases per day.

Among the cases of COVID that are appearing in the state is a new variant of the virus known as B.1.617.2, also known as the Delta variant, which is believed to have originated in India.

Genetic sequencing data done by Arizona-based TGen shows that the Delta variant made up about 3% of the Arizona samples that were genetically sequenced in May. By the end of June, that number had shot up to 21%.

Read more: https://www.azmirror.com/2021/07/09/deadly-delta-variant-of-covid-19-is-spreading-rapidly-in-arizona/