He said the United States has tools to address the challenge.
The highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus is the “greatest threat” to America’s attempt to eradicate the COVID-19 pandemic, White House Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci has warned.
Speaking at a White House briefing on COVID-19 on Tuesday, Dr. Fauci said the variant, which was first identified in India, now makes up more than 20% of all new cases in the U.S., a significant increase from nearly 10% two weeks ago.
Also read | Explained: What is the Delta plus variant?
“Similar to the situation in the U.K., the Delta variant is currently the greatest threat in the U.S. to our attempt to eliminate COVID-19,” Dr. Fauci told reporters during a virtual news conference here.
However, the “good news” is that the U.S. vaccines are effective against the Delta variant, said Dr. Fauci, the head of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
“Conclusion, we have the tools,…