First cases of Delta coronavirus variant found in Williamson County, officials say – Austin American-Statesman

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White House turns focus to getting under 30 vaccinated

The Biden Administration is turning its vaccination focus on the under 30 population, as the country isn’t expected to meet the president’s July 4th deadline in getting 70% of the population vaccinated with at least one shot. (June 22)

AP

The Williamson County and Cities Health District has confirmed the first three cases of the Delta variant of COVID-19 in the county in June.

The variant is demonstrated to be around 60% more transmissible “than the already highly infectious Alpha variant .. identified in the United Kingdom in late 2020,” according to a news release from the health district.

The district is urging people 12 and older to get coronavirus vaccinations. 

Available locations for vaccines at county clinics can be found at bit.ly/3wVWD1i. Vaccinations are also available at curative.com or at vaccinateaustin.org to get a vaccine from one of the county’s hub providers. Pharmacies are also offering vaccines. 

About 56.7% of the county’s residents ages 12 and older ( 279,935 people) are fully vaccinated, according to data on Friday from the Texas Department of State Health Services. 

“It is not surprising to see the Delta variant in our community given how rapidly it spreads,” said Allison Stewart, the health district’s lead epidemiologist, in the release. “The good news is that the mRNA vaccines have been proven to be highly effective against this variant. The concern locally is that we have more than half the county that isn’t vaccinated and whom are still highly susceptible to this variant.”

Both Pfizer and Moderna are mRNA vaccines. 

Read: UK variant of corona virus now detected in Austin/Travis County for first time, health officials say

The Delta variant of COVID-19 was first identified in India “during a ferocious wave of infections there in April and May,” the release said. “It is thought to be responsible for only a small proportion of the current COVID-19 cases in Texas and the United States, but the proportion of cases is growing quickly and is estimated to be the dominant strain in the U.S. as early as August.”

For more information on COVID-19  visit wcchd.org/COVID-19.

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