While prevalence of the variant, also known as B.1.617.2, is still low in the U.S., its prevalence has doubled since last week, rising from 3% to 6%, according to a report from HHS. Photo credit Peter Byrne/PA via AP
Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, doubled down on that message during an interview with ABC News’ David Muir on Wednesday, calling the delta variant “the most contagious variant we’ve seen so far.”
Vincent Racaniello, a microbiology and immunology professor at Columbia University, argued that we should interpret the infectiousness of the delta variant cautiously. The variant’s rapid rise also has to do with human behavior and relaxed restrictions and shouldn’t be strictly attributed to the virus being more transmissible.
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