As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, new strains of the virus are developing.

Greene County Public Health Director Becky Wolf says there are two main variants of COVID-19, including the Alpha strain, which originated in the United Kingdom; and the Delta strain, which originated in India. Wolf says the Delta variant has been identified in several areas in the United States. She talks about how much more dangerous the Delta variant is.

“The thing about the Delta is that it spreads rapidly. It’s more dominant as far as strain of the virus. So, it’s the fastest and the fittest strain, which means it’s capable of moving quickly and causing more disease.”  

Wolf points out the effectiveness that any of the three available vaccines, including Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson and Johnson, has against either the Alpha or Delta variants.

“The vaccines, whatever one you choose, there’s a 93-percent effectiveness rate for people who are fully vaccinated. Now keep in mind like 90-plus-percent on a vaccine effectiveness is incredible, that is huge. People need to keep that in mind because that’s not what we see in other vaccines.”    

Wolf adds Delta is most potent against those who are unvaccinated against COVID-19 or who are partially vaccinated. She says within the last two weeks, one in five people have been diagnosed with the Delta variant in the United States.