How dangerous is the new Delta Plus variant? Here’s what we know.
The latest coronavirus variant has spread to about a dozen countries—including India, the U.S., and the U.K.—while scientists scramble to figure out if the strain is more deadly or transmissible.
A new variant of the coronavirus has emerged, and scientists are working to figure out if it is more dangerous than its infamous cousin, the Delta variant, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people in India and is fast becoming the dominant variant around the world.
The state of Maharashtra, India, which was hit hard by the devastating second wave of COVID-19, has now reimposed lockdowns due to rising fears about this new variant, dubbed Delta Plus (which is not an official designation).
Delta Plus differs just slightly from Delta—the predominant strain in India and the United Kingdom—which is more infectious and is thought to cause more hospitalizations than previous strains. Existing vaccines are
