The world is opening up. We’re slurping ramen with friends, planning Alaska cruise vacations and shopping for larger pants at the mall rather than online.

Yet, there’s been a low-frequency drone of troubling news from far off places like Bangladesh that has cast a shadow on our celebratory summer. 

It’s COVID-19. And it hasn’t gone away; it’s just over there. 

The name of one strain, the “delta variant,” could double as the title of a Robert Ludlum novel; and its future is just as unsettling.

Delta is more transmissible than the virus that kept us isolated during the pandemic. Even more disturbing, the delta variant has an even more transmissible relative called “delta plus.”

Dr. Eli Rosenberg, an associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University at Albany, discussed the variants on Capital Tonight.

“The delta variant was originally identified in India,” he said. “What we know about it so far is that it’s more easily transmissible than both the original strain…or the strain that was previously called the UK strain, or B117, which is now called the alpha variant. It’s estimated to be even 50% or 60% more transmissible than even that variant, which is itself much more transmissible than the original.”

The delta variant spreads more easily through the population, which means it’s harder to control. 

“What we’re seeing now is a resurgence in many countries where vaccine coverage is lower,” Rosenberg explained.

While the data take “weeks and months” to emerge, Rosenberg said that the double dose vaccines – like the Modena or Pfizer vaccines – will give you good protection against the delta variant. However, it’s not yet clear if single-dose vaccines, like the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, are effective.

Data also indicate that a single dose of the Modena or Pfizer two-dose vaccines may not be enough protection.

“Not everyone has completed two doses of the vaccine, so there are some holes in our armor that are starting to appear with this variant,” he said.

The delta plus variant is still relatively unknown.  

“We know very little about this variant,” Rosenberg said. “Most of the information that’s come out has been from Indian health authorities, which released a statement saying they thought it was even more transmissible and possibly more able to attack the body compared to the delta variant. But we still don’t have really good independent data from other countries to really understand what this is about.”