A new coronavirus variant is on the rise. Here's why experts are concerned

"I think in parts of the country where you have less vaccination -- particularly in parts of the South, where you have some cities where vaccination rates are low -- there's a risk that you could see outbreaks with this new variant," Gottlieb said.

The Alpha variant used to be the dominant strain in the UK. But last week, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the Delta variant had taken over -- making up 91% of new cases in the UK. The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was found to provide 79% protection against infection from the Delta variant, compared with 92% against the Alpha variant, in community cases at least two weeks after the second dose.

"It is therefore really important that, when offered second doses, people take these up both to protect themselves and to reduce household and community transmission," said Professor Aziz Sheikh, director of the University of Edinburgh's Usher Institute.There's been a higher-than-expected number of cases of a heart ailment among young people, most often males, who've recently received their second doses of the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines, according to the CDC.

Gottlieb said he doesn't think the cases of heart inflammation change the risk-benefit analysis for the Covid-19 vaccine. The US Travel Association estimates that 77% of Americans will take at least one trip this summer, up from 29% last summer in the midst of Covid-19 lockdowns. And for air travel, there will likely be a 44% increase.

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