Delta variant suspected in growing Provincetown, Mass., Covid-19 cluster - NBC News

Health officials say they suspect the more virulent Delta variant of the coronavirus is responsible for an expanding cluster of Covid-19 cases in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health said in a statement Friday that genetic sequencing of initial samples associated with the the Provincetown cluster tested positive for the variant.

It said two labs, the Massachusetts State Public Health Laboratory and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, have "identified the Delta variant in cases associated with this cluster.".

The Provincetown Board of Health said in a statement that Covid-19 cases increased following the 4th of July holiday weekend