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KPBS Midday Edition

Expert Cautions Delta Still Biggest Threat As New Variant Emerges

The SARS-CoV-2 virus under a microscope in an undated photo.
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
The SARS-CoV-2 virus under a microscope in an undated photo.

The number of new COVID cases in the most populated areas of California seems to be slowly decreasing again.

Epidemiologists say the delta variant, which pushed up case numbers in August to higher levels than last year at this time, may be burning out in the state.

Expert Cautions Delta Still Biggest Threat As New Variant Emerges
Listen to this story Gabriela Fernandez-Silva.

Still, public health officials say it’s not yet time to breathe a sigh of relief.

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As kids go back to school, weekly pediatric COVID cases nationwide have risen to 250,000 for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

California has recorded one of the highest numbers in the U.S. of the newly emerging mu variant, with 43 cases of the variant reported in San Diego County.

Dr. Eric Topol, the director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla, joined Midday Edition with more on the new variant and future vaccine prospects.

Listen to the interview here:

While cases of the mu variant continue to be documented across California, leading health officials say that the delta variant is still the primary cause for concern as the pandemic continues.