What Can You Do To Stay Safe
In light of the rapid rise in COVID-19 cases, largely driven by the Delta variant, in late July, the CDC updated its COVID-19 prevention guidance. The CDC is now recommending that everyone, including the fully vaccinated, wear a mask in indoor public spaces in areas where COVID-19 transmission is substantial or high.
The new recommendations emphasize that certain populations should continue masking, for instance those who have or live with someone who has a suppressed immune system or an underlying medical condition that puts them at risk for severe disease.
The agency has also urged universal masking for teachers, staff, students, and visitors in K-12 schools, regardless of their vaccination status and the intensity of community transmission in their area.
Another substantial change to the CDC guidelines is the recommendation that fully vaccinated people who have been exposed to someone who has COVID-19 get tested. These people should also wear a mask when indoors in public areas for two weeks after exposure or until test results are negative.
Importantly, says Dr. Meyer, theyre not recommending quarantine after exposure if youre fully vaccinatedjust to wear a mask and get tested. And thats because we think post-vaccination infections are so rare.
But if fully vaccinated people test positive for COVID-19, the CDC recommends they isolate for 10 days.
Viral Load And Transmission
There is also another considerationthe role viral load may play in transmission. A study published in February 2021 in The Lancet Infectious Diseases found that the viral loadthe amount of virus in a persons body is a critical factor in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2.
Specifically, the study concluded that those with higher viral loads are more likely to transmit the virus to others. In March, another study from Israel found that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, even after just a single dose, significantly reduced viral loadwhich suggests that it may also lower the risk of transmission. But it did not evaluate whether vaccinated people could transmit the virus, even if their viral loads were reduced. Nor did it take into account the Delta variant.
More science will certainly emerge on transmission, as the Delta variant circulates and as more people become vaccinated, and hopefully public guidance will follow the science,” says Dr. Meyer.
A recent study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, demonstrated that people infected by the Delta variant had viral loads roughly 1000 times higher than those infected by the initial strain of the virus.
“The higher viral loads may play a role in increasing the risk of transmission, because each droplet can be packed with more virus,” says Dr. Meyer.
But the extent to which it does so in unvaccinated and vaccinated people is still unclear.
Breakthrough Cases And Delta: Background
Until recently, scientists were unsure whether fully vaccinated people who became infected with COVID-19 could transmit it to others. But the CDC report released in late July made it clear that some vaccinated people can get Delta in a breakthrough infectionand may be contagious.
The CDC added that breakthrough infections occur in only a small proportion of vaccinated people and of the breakthrough infections, transmission by the vaccinated appears to only be a small part of overall spread of the virus. But the CDC says it does not yet have data on the likelihood of asymptomatic spread among vaccinated people.
So, where does that leave us?
What we do know, says Dr. Meyer, is that there is less circulating virus in the community as a result of vaccination. When we look at vaccinations compared to cases on a population levelwe see that as the number of people vaccinated rises, the number of cases decreases, she says. This is likely due to the fact that people who are vaccinated are not becoming infected as often, but also that they are not forward-transmitting the virus as often.
But more research is needed. The CDC says that “studies are underway to understand the level and duration of transmissibility from Delta vaccine breakthrough infections.”
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The Delta Variant: An Overview
What appears below is our attempt to provide a baseline of information, and some predictions of what were looking at over the next few weeks.
The Delta Variant
Covid By the Numbers
Cases are still increasing in all 50 states, but a handful of states are primarily driving the national numbersFlorida, California, Texas, Louisiana, Missouri, and Georgia are all the main drivers, each with over 2,000 new diagnoses today. Ohio has just eclipsed 1,300 new cases a day this is the highest one-day number since May.
Covid Deaths
Mercifully, were not seeing deaths increase commensurate with new diagnoses, even accounting for the lag time we know exists between diagnosis and death. This was expected and hoped for, given that a significant majority of our oldest and therefore most vulnerable to Covid are fully vaccinated. Lets hope this continues.
Why is Delta More Infectious
When someone gets Covid, the viral load that someone carries is a key reason why a virus can be more or less infectious. The Delta variant creates 1,000-times more viral load than the original Covid. This means that it takes much less exposure to contract the disease.
This is why lots of scientists and medical professionals and public health officials are calling for N95 masks, rather than just cloth masks or even disposable masks, to be worn by those that are not yet vaccinated. You can request N95 masks for your agency here.
Shorter Incubation Period
The Surge in Diagnoses
Vaccines
Vaccine/Mask Mandates
Is The Delta Variant More Contagious
Yes. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the CDC, said during a COVID-19 briefing this week that the delta variant infects more people than previous strains, like the original alpha variant, according to
- The delta variant is highly contagious, she said. To put this in perspective: if you get sick with the alpha variant, you could infect about two other unvaccinated people. If you get sick with the delta variant, we estimate that you can infect about five other unvaccinated people more than twice as many as the original strain.
The delta variant can infect more people because infected people have higher viral loads, meaning they can transmit the virus a lot quicker.
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What Is A Booster
The simplest answer is that its just another dose of a vaccine you received, Dr. Shaw explains. The concept is to prolong protective immunity, particularly if there is evidence that protection is waning after a period of time.
Most children receive routine vaccinations, including boosters, for illnesses such as chickenpox, tetanus, diphtheria, mumps, measles, and rubellato name a few. These vaccine series, as we call them, are recommended because you need the extra doses to get longer lasting protective immunity, Dr. Shaw says.
Delta Variant Incubation Symptoms And When To Really Swab Everything You Need To Know Ilmeteoit
COVID: DELTA VARIANT, INCUBATION, SYMPTOMS and when to really swab. EVERYTHING there is to KNOW
INCUBATION and SYMPTOMS of the DELTA variantThe DELTA variant determined a new wave of CONTAGIONS. One summer, the second, with the nightmare of being infected and infecting, in the illusion that everything seemed to be over. But what do we know about the DELTA variant? How long does the incubation last? What are the symptoms and after when do they emerge? What to do next a contact at risk and when to swab?
Compared to the original strain, in fact, the mutation has specificities which are clarified by Professor Pierangelo Clerici, president of the Italian Clinical Microbiologists Association and of the Italian Federation of Scientific Laboratory Societies, through the lines of the Huffingtonpost.
What are the incubation times for the Delta variant?
It depends on the person concerned. In the unvaccinated we have an incubation that is almost identical to that of the original strain and goes from 5 to 12 days. In patients vaccinated with a single dose, however, the incubation is extended by a few days. While with two doses the possibility of getting infected is reduced to 10-15%.
Is the Green Pass a right viaticum?
It is a tool that can incentivize people to get vaccinated and that can help us achieve the goal we all care about: no longer having serious illnesses and deaths caused by the virus. We need to keep in mind the human cost this pandemic has had and act accordingly.
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Delta Variant Is Affecting Unvaccinated People More
Most patients hospitalized at UC Davis Medical Center are people who have not received the COVID-19 vaccine. Nationally, 97% of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 are unvaccinated, as of July 22. Vaccines are highly effective at preventing COVID-19 infection and are also effective in fighting against the Delta variant.
In California and across the U.S., data shows that areas with lower vaccination rates tend to have higher COVID-19 infection rates. Health experts urge that COVID-19 vaccines work to prevent severe disease, which may be fatal.
How Contagious Is Delta How Long Are You Infectious A Quick Guide To The Latest Science
by Lara Herrero, The Conversation
Delta was recognized as a SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern in May 2021 and has proved extremely difficult to control in unvaccinated populations.
Delta has managed to out-compete other variants, including Alpha. Variants are classified as “of concern” because they’re either more contagious than the original, cause more hospitalisations and deaths, or are better at evading vaccines and therapies. Or all of the above.
So how does delta fare on these measures? And what have we learnt since delta was first listed as a variant of concern?
How contagious is delta?
The R0 tells us how many other people, on average, one infected person will pass the virus on to.
Delta has an R0 of 58, meaning one infected person passes it onto five to eight others, on average.
This compares with an R0 of 1.53 for the original strain.
So delta is twice to five times as contagious as the virus that circulated in 2020.
What happens when you’re exposed to delta?
SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted through droplets an infected person releases when they breathe, cough or sneeze.
In some circumstances, transmission also occurs when a person touches a contaminated object, then touches their face.
Once SARS-CoV-2 enters your bodyusually through your nose or mouthit starts to replicate.
That’s two days faster than the original strain, which took roughly six days .
What are the possible complications?
Is it more deadly?
Explore further
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Vaccines Remain Effective At Reducing The Severity Of Infection
Although the Delta variant has been leading a significant spike in breakthrough cases, vaccines continue to remain effective in preventing hospitalizations and deaths. Alex Morse, Provincetowns town manager, . The vaccines are working, he Tweeted. Of the 900 cases related to the Provincetown cluster, there have been no deaths, 7 hospitalizations, and the symptoms are largely mild.
A new study from Public Health England found that the Pfizer vaccine was 96% effective at preventing hospitalization, making unvaccinated individuals 25 times as likely of being hospitalized as those who have received the vaccine. Additionally, despite the role that vaccinated individuals are playing in breakout cases, the same study found that the vaccine was approximately 80 percent effective in protecting against infection from the Delta variant.
Epidemiology Answers Key Questions About Delta Variant Transmissibility And Lethality
Series: Travel the world and visit major cities. Blue thumbtack that is stuck in a map, … which marks the city of Guangzhou, China. The map is toned in pastel colors. Concept: Planning travel destinations or journey planning. Close-up view. Studio shot. Landscape orientation.
getty
Understanding the transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 infection is critical to developing countermeasures that can successfully stop the spread of the virus. For most of the Covid-19 pandemic, computational modeling studies have given us a general sense of when, following infection, SARS-CoV-2 becomes contagious, then symptomatic. But due to difficulties in data collection, the exact timing of this progression eluded us.
That is, until this past August, when a group of Chinese researchers published a preprint study of an outbreak of the Delta variant in Guangdong province. Their study pinpoints, with unprecedented precision, exactly when in the disease course infectivity and symptom onset might be expected. And in the broader context of epidemiological research and disease control, the study is an excellent example of the level of insight possible when public health measures, including contact tracing, are systematically combined with cutting-edge virology and pathology.
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Delta Covid Variant: Incubation Vaccine Efficacy And Contagion Factors Chronicle
Rome, 1 August 2021 What is the incubation period for Delta variant and how many days pass from contagion to Covid-19 in the symptomatic phase? Does it make sense to do a tampon or immediate prophylaxis in suspected cases? There fourth wave of the pandemic, that is rampant among young people these days, is raising a lot of questions. Compared to the English variant and the Wuhan strain, the Indian variant shows differences in behavior that we need to know to protect ourselves and limit the damage.
Delta variant: symptoms and after how long they appear
Does The Delta Variant Cause Different Symptoms
Its not clear yet. Were hurting for good data, said Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, in June.
In Britain, where the variant is widespread, reports have emerged that Delta may cause different symptoms than other variants do. Researchers conducting the Covid Symptom Study, which asks people with the disease to report their symptoms in an app, have said that the most common symptoms of Covid have changed as the variant has spread through Britain.
What weve noticed is the last month, were seeing different sets of symptoms than we were seeing in January, Tim Spector, a genetic epidemiologist at Kings College London who leads the study, said in June.
Headaches, a sore throat and a runny nose are now among the most frequently reported symptoms, Dr. Spector said, with fever, cough and loss of smell less common.
These data, however, have not yet been published in a scientific journal, and some scientists remain unconvinced that the symptom profile has truly changed. The severity of Covid-19, regardless of the variant, can vary wildly from one person to another.
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Does It Make Sense To Do A Tampon Or A Prophylaxis In The Suspicion Of Contagion
The protective effect of the vaccines it is also effective on the Delta variant but it takes a while to express itself, so the vaccine cannot work as a therapy immediately. In the suspicion of recent contagion, it is necessary to contact the doctor, who will evaluate if and when to perform a swab, and whether to resort to antivirals, monoclonal antibodies, which to express their full effectiveness must be administered in the initial stages of the infection.