The COVID-19 delta variant is rapidly spreading, becoming the dominant strain in every country where it has appeared.|| COVID-19 updates | Maryland's latest numbers | Get tested | Vaccine Info ||The World Health Organization issued new recommendations that even fully vaccinated people should keep wearing masks and social distancing.Researchers said there is still a lot to learn about the delta variant, but they said its presence is concerning and highlights the importance of getting vaccinated."The delta variant is rapidly becoming the most dominant lineage of SARS-CoV-2 that's being found here in the U.S.," said Dr. Andrew Pekosz, of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. It’s more contagious and it’s spreading across the globe. Researchers said the vaccines do protect you against the new delta COVID-19 variant, but if you're only partially vaccinated, you're still susceptible. "I've always said you never want to rely on one single thing to keep you from getting infected and since we're not seeing really robust high levels of vaccination, I think even if you're vaccinated, wearing a mask when you go inside a crowded situation is probably a good thing because you just don't know what the vaccination status is of other people in the room," Pekosz said.Researchers said there's still a lot they don't know about this variant, but it appears young kids, who can't get the vaccine, are more susceptible to this mutation. "It does appear to be able to infect younger individuals and when it infects people it’s starting to show a higher level of severe disease," Pekosz said. "I think parents of younger children should really also be careful in terms of group gatherings particularly indoors and whether they want to expose their children to those types of scenarios."The United States is doing well compared to other countries as far as vaccinations, but the delta strain is thriving in areas with lower vaccination rates.Researchers said getting the shot will help stop the virus from spreading and mutating any further."Every time this virus mutates to become a little better at infecting humans it brings it closer to being able to be a virus that may be able to eventually evade vaccine immunity," Pekosz said.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not given any indication that they would change their guidance based on the WHO's recommendation.