Delta COVID-19 Variant Most Worrisome Yet, But Vaccines Still Effective 

WASHINGTON - The delta variant of the COVID-19 virus is more infectious and more virulent than the alpha variant first identified in the United Kingdom, according to new research.  

The good news is that vaccines still work against it, though somewhat less well, the studies say.  "Delta is a much more concerning variant globally, even than the other variants," said Bill Hanage, associate professor of epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics.  As vaccine access moves at a snail's pace outside of wealthier countries, "much of the world remains extraordinarily vulnerable," said William Powderly, director of the  Institute for Public Health at Washington University in St. Louis.