First case of 'double whammy' Delta plus variant detected in Louisiana
Researchers say the mutation layers Delta's transmissibility on top of antibody-evading traits, as Louisiana logs its first confirmed sample and the U.S. total climbs into the hundreds.
Louisiana has identified its first case of the Delta plus variant, a mutation of the already-dominant Delta strain, from a sample collected in early June in New Orleans, according to reporting from Nola.com. The finding puts Louisiana among a small but growing list of states tracking the sub-lineage as it spreads alongside standard Delta.
"It gives you a double whammy. It's a more infectious virus and it's a virus that is not as easily neutralized by antibodies," said Dr. Lucio Miele of LSU Health New Orleans, describing why researchers are watching the variant closely. Delta plus combines Delta's high transmissibility with immune-evasion properties associated with variants first identified in South Africa and Brazil.
At the time of the report, Louisiana had identified 13 total Delta samples, of which one was Delta plus. Nationally, 153 Delta plus samples had been detected against 4,804 total Delta variants; worldwide, Delta variants numbered 99,013. The relative rarity of Delta plus compared to standard Delta means its real-world impact was not yet established in the data available at the time of reporting.
How the state is tracking it
The case was identified through a partnership among the Louisiana Department of Health, Ochsner Health and LSU Health New Orleans, according to Nola.com. Ochsner researcher Amy Feehan and virologist Jeremy Kamil of LSU Health Shreveport were both involved in the variant-tracking effort described in the report.
What protection still holds
"Delta is going to find you. All it needs is one person exposing you for a very short period of time," Kamil said, per Nola.com, describing the broader Delta lineage's transmissibility. He added that vaccinated people retain protection against severe illness even as the variant spreads: "You're much better off if you've gotten the vaccine." The report also noted that a prior COVID-19 infection may not protect against Delta plus the way it might against earlier strains, and that vaccinated individuals could still potentially transmit the virus asymptomatically.
What remains unconfirmed
The report does not establish how much more severe Delta plus infections are compared with standard Delta, nor does it quantify the reduction in antibody neutralization beyond describing it qualitatively. Then-CDC Director Rochelle Walensky was named in coverage of the variant's national tracking, though the report did not include a direct quote from her specific to the Louisiana case.
US In News compiled this archived account from contemporaneous coverage by Nola.com. It restores a story originally published on this site in June 2021; figures are as reported at the time.