Delta variant shows 300 times higher viral load: South Korea study

New Delhi : People who have been infected by the Delta variant of coronavirus showed 300 times higher viral load than the ones who were infected with the original version of COVID 19, a South Korea study found.

But the amount gradually decreased over time - to 30 times in four days and over 10 times in nine days - and it matched levels seen in other variants after 10 days, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said on Tuesday.

The higher viral load means it is highly transmissible from one person to another person.

"But it doesn't mean Delta is 300 times more infectious...we think its transmission rate is 1.6 times the Alpha variant, and about two times the original version of the virus," Health Ministry official Lee Sang said.

The Delta variant of the novel coronavirus was first identified in India and the Alpha variant in the UK.

In the study, the scientists compared viral load of 1,848 patients infected with the Delta variant with 22,106 people who had other strains.

Quick vaccination is the only way for the nations to take control over coronavirus.