The U.S. surgeon general has issued a massive warning for those who aren’t vaccinated against COVID-19 — you might be at risk for a more dangerous COVID-19 variant.
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy told CNN that unvaccinated people could allow variants to develop, too.
- “For those who are unvaccinated, they are increasingly at risk as more and more variants develop,” he said.
- He added, “The news about the Delta variant is evidence of really why it’s so important for us to get vaccinated as soon as possible.”
Concerns over Delta variant
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House chief medical adviser on the coronavirus, said the U.S. should be concerned about how the Delta variant, which was first discovered in India, spread so fast.
- “In the U.K., the Delta variant is rapidly emerging as the dominant variant. ... It is replacing the B.1.1.7,” Fauci said, according to CNBC. “We cannot let that happen in the United States.”
The Delta variant currently makes up about 60% of COVID-19 cases in the United Kingdom. The variant makes up about 6% of cases in the U.S. at the moment, CNBC reports. The Alpha variant — which originated in the UK — is the most dominant variant in the U.S. right now, according to The New York Times.
- As I wrote for the Deseret News, Fauci suggests people get vaccinated against COVID-19 to stop the new variant from spreading.
- He said the Delta variant’s spread is “such a powerful argument” to get vaccinated.