A new strain of the Delta variant of COVID-19 has been detected in Australia’s most populous state New South Wales (NSW). Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant revealed that a new variant had emerged, which was different from current strains in the community. “We’ve been having a program throughout this response to the pandemic around genome sequencing, and those investigations have identified a strain of Delta which is different genome sequencing to the current strain circulating in Sydney,” she told reporters on Oct. 8. “There’s no indication that this new strain presents any differences regarding transmission or vaccine effectiveness or severity,” she added, revealing that currently, eight infections in NSW were from this strain—seven of which were in the same household. “We’re undertaking investigations into the source and how the transmission occurred, and we’ll update you when any information is available.” Chant’s announcement comes after recently promoted NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet …