Delta ‘Plus’ COVID-19 Variant Is In U.S., Could It Hit NY Soon

The Delta 'Plus' COVID-19 Variant was initially identified by health officials in the United Kingdom. The UK government made the announcement several days ago,

The Delta variant sub-lineage known as Delta AY.4.2 was designated a Variant Under Investigation (VUI) by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on 20 October 2021 and has been given the official name VUI-21OCT-01.

According to health officials in Oklahoma, the Delta Plus Variant has arrived in the United States. They do not believe it has spread yet, but we've seen how quickly the Delta Variant dominated all over. One of the experts in the state, Dr. Mary Clarke, M.D. and President of Oklahoma State Medical Association, warns that natural immunity to COVID-19 will likely not ward off the Delta Plus Variant,

The people that have natural immunity to COVID supposedly from the Delta variant will lose that immunity. If they do not get vaccinated, they will become susceptible again and it may be a Delta plus variant.

Like New York State, most of the current COVID cases in the UK are the Delta Variant, but health officials say that Delta Plus cases are increasing. The latest data provided by the UK Health Security Agency indicates that its 6 percent of positive cases. It has been found in all 9 regions of England.

Aside from Oklahoma health officials claiming it's already in America, with John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey being two of the 13 airports in the United States that allow flights to and from the UK, there is a good chance that an infected traveler from the country could unknowingly expose New Yorkers to the Delta Plus Variant.

The U.S. Department of State specifies that all foreign national visitors must be fully vaccinated,

The new travel policy requiring foreign nationals traveling to the United States to demonstrate proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 will take effect November 8.

According to the most recent data (2019) provided by the Department of Homeland Security, 7.5 million nonimmigrant travelers arrived in New York.

Nonimmigrants are foreign nationals granted temporary admission to the United States.The major purposes for which nonimmigrant admissions are authorized include temporary visits for business or pleasure, academic or vocational study, temporary employment, and to act as a representative of a foreign government or international organization.

While international travel has decreased since the beginning of the pandemic, travel has increased in 2021. The United Kingdom was among the top nation for nonimmigrant admissions into the U.S. in 2019, with 5.3 million visitors coming from the country.

Even with that said, we have seen many breakthrough cases, where vaccinated people are still able to be infected with COVID-19. Here in New York, breakthrough cases are 1 percent of the fully vaccinated people, as of October 24, according to data released by the NYS Department of Health.

120,653 laboratory-confirmed breakthrough cases of COVID-19 among fully-vaccinated people in New York State, which corresponds to 1.0% of the population of fully-vaccinated people 12-years or older.
8,114 hospitalizations with COVID-19 among fully-vaccinated people in New York State, which corresponds to 0.07% of the population of fully-vaccinated people 12-years or older.

More Than 250 People Died in New York After Receiving the COVID-19 Vaccine

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control, more than 250 people have died across New York after getting vaccinated against COVID-19. The CDC breaks the deaths down for each vaccine brand. The reports that the data is based on coming from the CDC's Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, also known as VAERS. You can read the full report here.