RICHMOND, Va. — The Delta variant of COVID-19 was already the most dominant form of the virus nationwide, and now the Virginia Department of Health says it is also the most common variant found in the Commonwealth.
The VDH said that the Delta variant made up 80% of infections that occurred during the week that ended on July 10, which was a 45% increase since the week of June 19th.
The Delta variant is more contagious than many of COVID-19's earlier strains.
"The Delta variant is here in Virginia, and it is hitting our unvaccinated population especially hard," State Health Commissioner M. Norman Oliver, M.D, M.A. said in a news release.
Oliver urged people to get vaccinated to stop the transmission of the disease.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that "breakthrough infections" happen only in a small proportion of people who are fully vaccinated, and that when it does happen, the illness tends to be milder.
However, the CDC has said that preliminary evidence suggests fully vaccinated people who do become infected with the Delta variant can still be infectious and spread the virus to other people, particularly the unvaccinated.
The VDH advises people in Virginia to:
- Wear a mask in indoor settings even if you are vaccinated
- Get fully vaccinated
- Stay at least six feet from others outside of your household
- Avoid crowds and poorly ventilated spaces
- Wash your hands often
- Stay home if you are infected with COVID-19
- Stay separate from others and get tested if you have had close contact with someone with COVID-19