Delta variant's rapid rise — now spurring 83% of new cases — sends stocks spiraling in what CDC director calls a 'pandemic of the unvaccinated'
As the US emerges from a yearlong lockdown, the Delta variant — the most contagious strain of the novel coronavirus identified to date — continues to spread rapidly around the world, threatening to derail hopes for a swift economic comeback and bringing potential booster shots to the forefront of discussion.
The Delta variant, also known as B.1.617.2, is now responsible for about 83% of all Covid-19 cases in the US, CDC director Rochelle Walensky said during a Senate health committee hearing Tuesday. NIAID director Anthony Fauci said the strain, which was first identified in India, accounts for up to 90% of cases in some US regions and has spread to about 100 countries so far.
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