(KLFY)- The highly contagious Delta variant is now the dominant strain of COVID-19 in Louisiana.

“Delta is attacking younger people and hospitalizing them twice as much and stealing lives at an alarming rate,” Dr. Britni Hebert adds.

Cases, hospitalizations, and percent positivity rates are steadily increasing and that is causing concern.

Dr. Hebert warns the state is seeing another COVID-19 surge.

“The medical field is burnt out from what we’ve been through this past year,” continues Dr. Hebert.

According to the CDC, the Delta variant is about 60% more transmissible than the initial Alpha variant and is infecting younger people at a higher rate.

Dr. Hebert explains, “Hospitalizations always sees an ebb and flow. We are already in that state. Both hospitals are on divergence and now COVID numbers are high.”

Currently, the state has 410 COVID patients in the hospital, 37 of those are on ventilators.

“We didn’t think we would see this til winter. It will just keep getting worse,” says Dr. Hebert.

The current vaccines are effective against the Delta strain.

The bad new is that people who aren’t vaccinated are more likely to spread the highly transmissible strain and only 35%of Louisianans are vaccinated.

Dr. Hebert continues, “The vast majority getting sick and dying are unvaccinated. This is not surprising. We just didn’t think we would still be here this far into the game.”