Virtually all Western New Yorkers now infected with COVID-19 have the delta variant, UB researchers find

The Buffalo News reports on COVID-19 genomic sequencing in Erie County led by UB researchers that found the dominant strain of the virus in Western New York is now the Delta variant. “I was expecting to see a lot of Delta, but I was surprised that it was virtually all Delta at this point,” said Jennifer Surtees, associate professor of biochemistry in the Jacobs School. “It was a quick shift.” The article also quotes John Sellick, professor of medicine in the Jacobs School. “This variant does not escape the vaccine,” he said. “Some people will get a mild reinfection but almost all the deaths and hospitalizations we’ve seen are among the unvaccinated and it’s not a large number.” Also reporting on the research were WIVB-TV, Niagara Gazette, The Lockport Union-Sun and Journal, and Spectrum News affiliates.