By Troy Closson

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It’s Wednesday.

Weather: Hot and humid under mostly sunny skies. High in the mid-90s, with a heat index above 100. Chance of storms later in the day.

Alternate-side parking: In effect until Sunday (Independence Day).

As the spread of the coronavirus ebbs in New York and vibrant summer life returns, questions remain over what the coming months may hold.

The questions largely center on the Delta variant, the highly infectious form of the virus that Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, called “the greatest threat” to eliminating cases across the country. It has spread to at least 85 countries and has led World Health Organization officials to urge even fully vaccinated people to continue wearing masks, citing the dearth of vaccines and high rates of community transmission in many parts of the world.

“We’re going to watch it carefully,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said recently on WNYC. “There’s no evidence at this moment that it changes the trajectory. But if anything occurs — when we have to make adjustments, we will make them quickly.”

Here are a few things to know:

The variant

The Delta variant is believed to be the most transmissible variant yet, though estimates of its infectiousness vary.

Evidence suggests that it may be able to partially evade the antibodies made by the body after a virus infection or vaccination. It may also cause more severe illness, though much about it remains uncertain.

[Read more about the Delta variant.]

The current outlook

Roughly 23 percent of new cases in New York City were identified as the Delta variant as of June 12, the last date for which the city’s health data on the spread is available, though the rate comes from a relatively low sample.

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