Williamson County Health, TX

June 25, 2021 – Williamson County and Cities Health District (WCCHD) has learned that the first three cases of the Delta (B.1.617.2) variant of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Williamson County. The variant was discovered and confirmed through lab testing in June.

Delta, also known as B.1.617.2, was demonstrated to be to be around 60% more transmissible than the already highly infectious Alpha variant (also called B.1.1.7) identified in the United Kingdom in late 2020.

“It is not surprising to see the Delta variant in our community given how rapidly it spreads,” said WCCHD Lead Epidemiologist Allison Stewart. “The good news is that the mRNA vaccines have been proven to be highly effective against this variant. The concern locally is that we have more than half the county that isn’t vaccinated and whom are still highly susceptible to this variant.”

Delta belongs to a viral lineage first identified in India during a ferocious wave of infections there in April and May. The current scientific evidence is that the variant may be associated with an increased risk of hospitalization but that mRNA vaccines are still highly effective against it. It is thought to be responsible for only a small proportion of the current COVID-19 cases in Texas and the United States, but the proportion of cases is growing quickly and is estimated to be the dominant strain in the U.S. as early as August.

At this time, Williamson County remains in Yellow Phase, and continues to urge all eligible residents to seek vaccination to protect themselves and their community.

COVID-19 vaccinations are widely available for ages 12 years and older at WCCHD clinics, walk-up locations, and pharmacies seven days a week. Visit www.wcchd.org/covid-19/covid-19_vaccinations.php for a list of available locations.

For more information on COVID-19 please visit www.wcchd.org/COVID-19.