Delta variant may spread like Chikenpox, cause severe infections: Reports
New Delhi : The Delta variant of coronavirus can be severe than all other variants known of coronavirus and may spread like Chikenpox, said various media reports quoting an internal document from the US health authority said.
The unpublished documents from CDC mentions that even fully vaccinated people can be a coronavirus infection transmitter. The contents of the document – a slide presentation – were first reported by The Washington Post on Thursday.
Dr Rochelle P Walensky, the director of the CDC, has acknowledged that when it comes to Delta variant even the vaccinated people carry it in their nose and mouth like normal people and can be a transmitter.
The Delta variant is more transmissible than the viruses that cause MERS, SARS, Ebola, the common cold, the seasonal flu and smallpox, and it is as contagious as chickenpox, according to the document, a copy of which was also obtained by The New York Times.
Some key points from the report:
# The Delta variant has become severe disease, according to the document. The immediate step that must be taken is to acknowledge that the war has changed.
# The CDC is very concerned with the data coming in that Delta is a very serious threat that requires action now, the official said.
# There are roughly 35,000 symptomatic infections per week among 162 million vaccinated Americans, according to data collected by the CDC as of July 24 that was cited in the internal presentation.
# Infection with the Delta variant produces virus amounts in the airways that are tenfold higher than what is seen in people infected with the Alpha variant, which is also highly contagious, the document noted.
# The CDC document relies on data from multiple studies, including an analysis of a recent outbreak in Provincetown, Massachusetts, which began after the town’s Fourth of July festivities.
Vaccinated people still safer
Vaccinated people are safer, the document indicates. “Vaccines prevent more than 90 per cent of severe disease, but may be less effective at preventing infection or transmission,” it reads. “Therefore, more breakthrough and more community spread despite vaccination,” the document adds.
