The AY.4.2 subvariant has been detected in at least five cases in the U.S.: Washington, D.C., California, North Carolina, Washington state and Massachusetts.
Francois Balloux, the director of the Genetics Institute at University College London, said it could be 10% or more contagious than delta.
Formally known as AY.4.2, delta plus includes two new mutations to the spike protein, A222V and Y145H, which allow the virus to enter the body. Those mutations have been found in other Covid variants, so it's unclear how dramatically those changes affect the virus. Delta has an R-naught, or reproductive rate, of eight or nine, according to CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, meaning that every person who has Covid will spread it to up to nine other people. The "wild type" or original strain of Covid had an estimated R-naught of about three. Someone infected with the delta variant carries 1,000 times the viral load of the original Covid strain.
"We particularly monitor for sublineages that could impact therapeutics, such as monoclonal antibodies and vaccines," Walensky said. "At this time, there is no evidence that the sublineage AY.4.2 impacts the effectiveness of our current vaccines or therapeutics."
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