Vaccinated New Yorker Found With Dangerous Variant of COVID in HV
A fully vaccinated Hudson Valley resident has been infected with the most dangerous COVID variant.
On Monday, Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan confirmed a vaccinated Ulster County resident has tested positive for the Delta strain of COVID-19.
"Today we were notified by New York State that a vaccinated Ulster County resident has tested positive for the Delta strain of COVID-19. This incident is a critical reminder that while we have made great strides in fighting this virus, we are not out of the woods yet," Ryan said in a statement.
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The Delta strain is 60 percent more contagious than the Alpha, which was more contagious than the first strain from Wuhan, China, according to CNBC.
The Delta strain was first found in India is considered to be the most dangerous strain of COVID. It's causing a severe cold and infecting many young people, according to health officials.
"The Delta variant is the most able, fastest and fittest of those (COVID) viruses, " Dr. Mike Ryan of the World Health Organization said. "(It) has the potential to be more lethal because it’s more efficient in the way it transmits between humans and it will eventually find those vulnerable individuals who will become severely ill, have to be hospitalized and potentially die."
It's unclear how or when the Ulster County resident got infected, but according to Ryan, the unnamed person has recovered. Ryan believes the resident being vaccinated really helped the person from getting seriously sick.
"We are happy to report that the positive resident has since recovered, the fact that they were vaccinated likely spared them from the worst impacts of the variant. I ask that all residents remain vigilant and proactive to blunt any further spread of the virus. I encourage everyone to continue to get vaccinated and we must continue to take all precautions necessary, even if you are vaccinated, to stop any further spread of COVID-19," Ryan added.
While the strain appears to be the most dangerous strain of COVID, health officials say the vaccine is defending against the Delta variant.
"Even though this strain of the virus appears to be both more infectious and more dangerous, it appears to also be very responsive to the vaccine," New York City Senior Advisor for Public Health Dr. Jay Varma told ABC. While it's something we need to monitor carefully, we need to always emphasize the fact that, even though the percentage of delta cases is going up the total number of people with COVID continues to go down and the vaccines continue to be very effective."