What is the new delta plus variant?

As cases of COVID-19 surge in the United States due to the highly contagious delta variant, a new variation of that variant called the delta plus variant is causing concern amongst many healthcare professionals.

The delta plus variant is similar to the delta variant, but unlike delta, this sub-strain has a spike protein called K417N; these spike proteins latch onto human skin with the external bumps that are found on the virus, Fox 5 in San Diego reported.

A new sub-strain of the delta variant has been discovered in the United States, the United Kingdom, India, and South Korea
(iStock)

DOES DELTA COVID-19 VARIANT RAISE RISK OF REINFECTION?

Although there is no wide consensus, many people believe that this sub-strain of COVID-19 can be even more contagious than the original delta variants due to its ability to latch onto human skin with their spike proteins, though it has the same mutation as the beta variant.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

There have only been a few cases of the delta plus variant, and they have been detected in the United States, the United Kingdom, and India; South Korea also detected two cases of the delta plus variant, one of the cases is a person reportedly traveling back to the United States.

According to researchers in the United States, it is too early to determine whether the delta plus variant is more contagious or resistant to vaccines than the original delta strain.