New York Times Opinion | Worry About Human Behavior, Not Covid Variants

PATH Trains running between Newark and World Trade Center are really cattle cars. Picture by G Morris

According to PATH, someone in this picture could be fined for face mask violation. Pic by G Morris

Not PATH but a NYC Brooklyn-bound Q Train with a mask-less, cigarette smoking jerk! Pic by G Morris

PATH Cattle Car. Pic by G Morris

Credit… Peter van Agtmael/Magnum Photos

Amy B. Rosenfeld and

Dr. Rosenfeld and Dr. Racaniello are virology professors at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.

News headlines and health experts on social media are sounding the alarm over another variant of the coronavirus, this time Delta, claiming it is much more contagious and perhaps more lethal than any other variant seen so far.

It’s easy to understand why: New variants of the virus continue to emerge, and cases are rising in many countries. But whether new variants pose a unique or substantial risk…