delta variant
noun
variants
or less commonly Delta variant
: a highly transmissible genetic variant of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus
Since the summer, independently owned restaurants and music venues in Colorado have instituted their own vaccine protocols in response to the spread of the highly contagious delta variant.—
Christine Ricciardi
Christine RicciardiExperts have said that Omicron appears to be causing less severe disease in people than the Delta variant did.—Ed Browne
Ed Brownecalled also delta, delta virus
Examples of delta variant in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
When Florida hospitals were overwhelmed by unvaccinated patients during the surge of the delta variant in summer 2021, DeSantis’s aides touted the state’s high vaccination rate in seniors and the steps the governor took to promote shots.
—Hannah Knowles and Fenit Nirappil, Anchorage Daily News, 16 Sep. 2023
Brownstein said some of the concern may be due to surges seen with variants in the past such as the delta variant in summer 2021, leading to a sounding of the alarm.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2023
In August 2021, Dallas County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins told commissioners they were required to wear masks during the Commissioners Court meeting after consulting local doctors about the surge in COVID-19 cases caused by the delta variant.
—Philip Jankowski, Dallas News, 30 June 2023
In the spring of 2021, Walensky said fully vaccinated people could stop wearing masks in many settings, only to reverse course as the then-new delta variant spread.
—Mike Stobbe, BostonGlobe.com, 5 May 2023
The country was devastated by a wave of infections involving the delta variant in 2021, which killed tens of thousands of people.
—Victoria Bisset, Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2023
The Defense Department will make vaccinations against Covid-19 mandatory for members of the U.S. military by Sept. 15 as the highly contagious delta variant spreads globally, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced Monday.
—Travis J Tritten, Bloomberg.com, 9 Aug. 2021
The delta variant was from August 2021 through November 2021.
—Amy Goldstein, Dan Keating, Anchorage Daily News, 18 Mar. 2023
Consider that in the United States, daily hospitalizations and deaths, while lower than at the worst peaks, have not yet dropped to the low levels reached during summer 2021 before the delta variant wave.
—Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Staff and Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 11 Mar. 2023
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Hannah Knowles and Fenit Nirappil, Anchorage Daily News, 16 Sep. 2023
Brownstein said some of the concern may be due to surges seen with variants in the past such as the delta variant in summer 2021, leading to a sounding of the alarm.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2023
In August 2021, Dallas County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins told commissioners they were required to wear masks during the Commissioners Court meeting after consulting local doctors about the surge in COVID-19 cases caused by the delta variant.
—Philip Jankowski, Dallas News, 30 June 2023
In the spring of 2021, Walensky said fully vaccinated people could stop wearing masks in many settings, only to reverse course as the then-new delta variant spread.
—Mike Stobbe, BostonGlobe.com, 5 May 2023
The country was devastated by a wave of infections involving the delta variant in 2021, which killed tens of thousands of people.
—Victoria Bisset, Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2023
The Defense Department will make vaccinations against Covid-19 mandatory for members of the U.S. military by Sept. 15 as the highly contagious delta variant spreads globally, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced Monday.
—Travis J Tritten, Bloomberg.com, 9 Aug. 2021
The delta variant was from August 2021 through November 2021.
—Amy Goldstein, Dan Keating, Anchorage Daily News, 18 Mar. 2023
Consider that in the United States, daily hospitalizations and deaths, while lower than at the worst peaks, have not yet dropped to the low levels reached during summer 2021 before the delta variant wave.
—Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Staff and Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 11 Mar. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'delta variant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
2021, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near delta variant
Cite this Entry
“Delta variant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/delta%20variant. Accessed 1 Oct. 2023.
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Medical Definition
delta variant
noun
variants
also Delta variant
: a highly transmissible genetic variant of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus
Citing the highly transmissible delta variant, President Biden ordered the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for long-term care staff …—Hospital Employee Health
Hospital Employee HealthMaine hospitals managed to stay staffed even as hospital beds and intensive care units filled with patients through the monthslong coronavirus surge driven by the delta variant …—Peter McGuire and Hannah LaClaire, Portland (Maine) Press Herald
Peter McGuire and Hannah LaClaire, Portland (Maine) Press Herald… available data indicate that Omicron tends to cause less severe symptoms than the previously dominant Delta variant …—Luke Money et al., Los Angeles Times
Luke Money et al., Los Angeles Timescalled also delta, delta virus
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