The Rise of Delta

<p>The Delta variant of the coronavirus is threatening to put the world in an entirely new stage of the pandemic.</p><p>The variant is spreading fast, particularly in places with low vaccination rates — it is thought to be around 50 percent more transmissible than previous versions.</p><p>What can be done to stop Delta, and how will the variant hamper global efforts to return to normalcy?</p><p>Guest: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/carl-zimmer?smid=pc-thedaily">Carl Zimmer</a>, a science writer and author of the “Matter” column for The New York Times.</p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/signup/NTTD?smid=pc-thedaily">Sign up here</a> to get The Daily in your inbox each morning. And for an exclusive look at how the biggest stories on our show come together, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/the-daily?module=inline">subscribe to our newsletter</a>. </p><p>Background reading: </p><ul><li>Vaccines are driving down coronavirus case numbers in the U.S., but it’s unclear whether Delta will reverse that trend. Here’s<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/22/health/delta-variant-covid.html"> what scientists know about it</a>.</li><li>Conflicting advice from the health authorities about masks<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/30/well/live/delta-variant-vaccines-masks.html"> has bewildered a worried public</a>.</li></ul><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily">nytimes.com/thedaily</a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. </p>