Santa Cruz County Detects Delta COVID-19 Variant Case

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA — At least one local man contracted the COVID-19 delta variant, Santa Cruz County's Public Health Division reported.

The delta variant is a mutation of the coronavirus that has been labeled a variant of concern by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The variant accounts for 14.5 percent of California COVID-19 cases that have undergone genomic sequencing and is highly transmissible. The variant accounted for just 4.7 percent of California cases that were sequenced in May.

It is likely to become the United States' dominant COVID-19 strain and is more resistant to antibody treatment, according to a statement from the county.

The local patient is a man in his 50s who experienced mild symptoms. Officials believed it's likely that additional undetected cases of the variant are circulating here. The patient's sample was collected June 10 in Santa Cruz County.

County health officials urged anyone who has not been fully vaccinated to do so immediately. Full vaccination is effective against the variant; partial vaccination is much less effective. Anyone 12 or older is eligible to sign up for a vaccination appointment here.

“With the reopening of the economy and slowing vaccination rates, the introduction of a highly transmissible variant creates an especially worrisome situation,” said Santa Cruz County deputy health officer David Ghilarducci in a statement. “For those who are unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated, your risk of serious illness is becoming more likely. The best way to reduce the risk for everyone — including residents not yet eligible to be vaccinated — is to seek a vaccine as soon as possible.”

There were 61 active COVID-19 cases reported in Santa Cruz County as of Sunday, the most recent day for which data was available as of this writing. More than 16,000 cases have been reported here since the beginning of the pandemic, and 207 have died.