Montana state health officials say the delta strain of the coronavirus accounts for nearly every recent COVID-19 test screened for variants in the state.
According to the state health department’s latest COVID-19 variant monitoring report, the delta strain accounted for more than 90% of all COVID tests the state analyzed last week. That trend has continued so far this week.
Limited data is available in Montana on patient outcomes among those infected with various strains of the coronavirus, but national data suggest the delta variant is more than two times as contagious as the original strain and might cause more severe illness than previous strains among the unvaccinated.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says fully vaccinated people can spread the virus; however, they appear to be infectious for a shorter period. Under 1% of fully-vaccinated people in Montana have become infected with COVID-19, which are known as breakthrough cases. Nearly all breakthrough cases in Montana that have been screened were people infected with a variant.
