A strain of COVID-19 first detected in India and identified in Hawaii earlier this month has now been found on the Big Island, the state Department of Health said today.
According to the DOH, this variant, known at the Delta variant, there have been three cases associated with travel from the mainland — two on Oahu and one on Hawaii Island.
The State Laboratories Division also has identified the variant in a specimen from an Oahu resident with no history of travel.
The DOH is investigating to determine the extent of household and community transmission.
According to the DOH, all individual with COVID-19 caused by the Delta variant has been symptomatic but none have been hospitalized. One one person was was fully vaccinated for COVID-19.
In the three travel-related cases, all household members and close contacts who were fully vaccinated against the virus tested negative. Vaccines currently authorized for use in the United States are effective against the variants currently spreading, the DOH said.
“A recently published study from Scotland found that the risk of COVID-19 hospital admission was approximately double in those with the Delta variant when compared to those with the B.1.1.7 strain, also known as the U.K. or Alpha variant,” said State Laboratories Division Administrator Edward Desmond.
The Delta variant now makes up approximately 10% of all cases in the U.S., and could soon become the dominant strain of the coronavirus in the nation according the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Given what we know about the Delta variant and the cases already identified in Hawaii, we expect to detect additional cases in the coming weeks,” said Dr. Sarah Kemble, acting state epidemiologist. “Our best defense against of the variants is to get vaccinated as soon as possible.”