The delta variant was discovered in late 2020 in India and is estimated to be as contagious as chickenpox , meaning that an infected person can pass it to up to 8 or 9 people. The delta is advancing rapidly worldwide. Spain is not an exception and today this variant is the majority in Madrid, Catalonia, Valencian Community and Navarra.
- The delta variant is extremely contagious. In an internal note obtained by the New York Times , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describe the variant as “as contagious as chickenpox.” This means that a person infected with the delta could infect an average of eight or nine people as opposed to having the original strain that could infect two people. However, these are estimates as further testing is required to know exactly.
- Unvaccinated people are more vulnerable to the delta variant , especially those immunosuppressed who cannot receive the vaccine and children under 12 years of age, for whom one has not yet been approved.
- The delta variant could again cause a high incidence in some areas. This means that if a weakly vaccinated region is surrounded by regions with a high vaccination rate, COVID-19 could become “trapped” within its borders and health systems could be collapsed again.
- We still have a lot to learn from the delta variant . This includes knowing all the symptoms it causes and whether it makes people sicker than the original strain. A recent survey conducted in the UK revealed that traditional COVID-19 symptoms like coughing and loss of smell are not as common with the delta variant .
- A complete vaccination schedule is the best protection against the delta variant. However, it has to be clear that no vaccine is 100% effective. The CDC recently published a study looking at a coronavirus outbreak that occurred in Massachusetts in early July in which 74% of people who were infected had the full vaccination schedule . Four of them required hospitalization. 469 people were implicated in the outbreak. According to the UK authority, Pfizer’s vaccine is 88% effective against the delta variant and 96% effective against hospitalizations after the full regimen. Moderna has not yet given percentages, but reports that its vaccine is effective against the delta variant reducing the serious effects caused by the virus.
