White House to send special teams to hotspots due to highly contagious Delta variant

The White House has said that it would send special teams to hotspots around the US to battle the highly contagious Delta coronavirus variant amid rising cases in parts of the country.

Delta Plus (B.1.617.2.1/(AY.1) is a new mutant strain of the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2, and has emerged as a new threat.

While the Delta variant, which was first detected by scientists in India, became a problem for the whole world, Delta Plus is currently limited to smaller areas in the country and is still under investigation. Experts believe Delta Plus has increased transmissibility but it is still not very clear as to how virulent this new strain is in comparison to other variants.

Also Read | COVID-19: All you need to know about Delta Plus variant

White House Covid-19 senior adviser Jeffrey Zients told reporters that "surge response" teams would be ready to speed additional testing supplies and therapeutics to communities that were experiencing increases in Covid-19 cases. 

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky said on a news call highlighted that more than 180 million people and more than 66 per cent of adults in the United States have received shots, but around 1,000 counties still have vaccination rates below 30 per cent. 

Michael Newshel, a healthcare analyst for Evercore ISI, in a Tuesday analyst note that Nevada and Missouri have the highest rates of Covid-19 infection, and there have been recent outbreaks in states including Utah, Wyoming and Nebraska.

Medical experts are cautioning authorities and people against this new variant and are urging people to stay cautious and treat

Delta Plus as a highly infectious variant that may show resistance against monoclonal antibodies cocktail treatments.
As of now, new specific symptoms have been reported. It is also not yet clear if the existing vaccines are effective against Delta Plus.