COLUMBUS, Ohio — The delta variant is driving up COVID-19 cases across the country. Here in central Ohio, it's unknown how prevalent the delta variant is.
"We call this the super spreader variant," said Dr. Joe Gastaldo from OhioHealth. "When you get COVID-19 you don't know what variant you're getting. It's safe to say based on the genetic sequencing information from the CDC that it's likely to be the delta variant."
What health officials do know is that this variant is up to 60% more transmissible than the original -- leaving unvaccinated people at greater risk of infection.
In Franklin County, for example, that's roughly half of the residents.
Some hospitals like Mount Carmel test for variants but not specific variants. The Ohio Department of Health does that.
A statement from ODH reads in part, "The delta variant has been detected in Ohio, however in the proportionality of all variants tested it remains less than 1%. Further breakdown is not available. The Ohio Department of Health does not track variants in relation to hospitalizations or deaths."
According to Columbus Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika Roberts, ODH notified Columbus Public Health when the delta variant was detected.
"When we were informed that we had delta variant here in Franklin County that information did come with some information about a cluster that we have been investigating,” said Dr. Roberts. "All I can say is they appear to be household contacts."
Dr. Roberts and others urge people to protect themselves and others by getting vaccinated.
"Imagine that if we have three cases this week we could have as many as six and could keep doubling in the weeks to come,” she said. “So it's something that is very concerning and individuals who live in our jurisdiction who are not vaccinated should be very concerned and should get vaccinated as soon as possible."