(KLFY)- With 19 Delta variant cases confirmed in the state, Dr. Tina Stefanski says now is the time to get ahead of this variant.
The easiest way, vaccinations.
“The more a virus spreads, the more we see variants emerge,” Stefanski explains.
Louisiana is one of the states now confirming a new strand of COVID-19.
Dr. Stefanski continues, “A concern of all of ours is when you have pockets of unvaccinated individuals. There will be clusters of outbreak cases. The south is a risk.”
Dr. Stefanski says the Delta variant is expected to overtake the alpha variant as the main form of the virus.
She says more than 20% of new cases in the U.S. are already due to the Delta variant.
“It is more easily transmitted than the original strand of COVID,” adds Stefanski.
The COVID-19 vaccines are expected to be protective against the new virus variant.
Stefanski says, “Most people in the hospitals are not vaccinated.”
Louisiana still remains one of the lowest vaccinated states with just over 34 percent fully vaccinated.
Dr. Stefanski says hospitals are seeing a concerning trend in younger individuals as the state prepares to take on the Delta variant.
“The mobile group of people are usually asymptomatic, 18-29, 30-50. They also have the lowest vaccination rates,” Dr. Stefanski adds.
