Biden, Fauci warn against ‘highly infectious’ Delta variant, ask American youths to get the jab

The variant has become the dominant strain in the UK, accounting for an estimated 60 per cent of new cases. The same cannot be allowed to happen in the US, said Dr Fauci.

US President Joe Biden and his chief medical advisor Dr Anthony Fauci have warned that the Delta variant of the novel coronavirus is highly infectious, which is now the dominant strain in the United Kingdom, spreading rapidly among young people between 12 and 20 years old.The Delta variant of Covid-19, or the B1.617.2 was first detected in India in October and has spread to 62 countries, the World Health Organisation said recently."Folks, the Delta variant - a highly infectious Covid-19 strain - is spreading rapidly among young people between 12 and 20 years old in the UK. If you’re young and haven’t gotten your shot yet, it really is time. It’s the best way to protect yourself and those you love," Biden tweeted on Tuesday. ALSO READ | No fear, only beer: Joe Biden offers free brew to get Americans vaccinated against Covid-19Dr Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), said the Delta variant accounts for more than six per cent of the cases being sequenced in the US. The actual number is likely higher, as the US is running the genetic sequence on a fraction of cases. The variant has become the dominant strain in the UK, accounting for an estimated 60 per cent of new cases. It’s now more prevalent than the Alpha strain, formerly called the B.1.1.7 strain, which was first identified in the UK, and transmission is peaking in people between the ages of 12 and 20, Dr Fauci said at a press briefing on Tuesday.