While COVID-19 cases quietly rise, a new variant of COVID-19 is on pace to be the most prominent variant in Arizona.
The Delta variant of the coronavirus has swept through England, surged in Missouri, and, in just one week, has nearly doubled in the number of confirmed cases in Arizona in the last week.
According to TGEN, a genetics research organization based in Flagstaff, the delta variation rose from just shy of 60 confirmed cases last week to 113 cases this week.
A virus’s job is to replicate and spread. And so it wants to be more efficient," said Ross Goldberg, Ph.D., District Medical Group Vice-Chair of Surgery at Valleywise Health. "It’s easier to transmit, people are getting sick and needing hospitalizations."
"It is expected, the delta variant to overtake the UK variant in August," said Garrett Archer, ABC15's Data Analyst.
On Sunday, there were 436 new cases of COVID-19 in our state, a slight increase from the week prior.
"Right now, COVID-19 in Arizona has about a 15% increase in our 7-day average which means we’re about 15% higher than we were a week ago," said Archer.
Dr. Goldberg said there are two ways to protect yourself from catching the delta or other COVID-19 variants. First, get a COVID-19 vaccine first shot. And second, don't forget the booster shot.
"The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines work when you get both doses, they don’t really work when you have one dose," said Dr. Goldberg. "You can’t half do this. You have to do it all the way. Otherwise, you're really not getting the protection you think you need and you’re not protecting others either."
Healthcare professionals say all major vaccines should protect people from all current confirmed variants of the coronavirus.