Delta Variant
COVID-19 has been existing for more than one and half years now. At the outset of COVID-19 pandemic, the symptoms and the risks of it had been emphasized from time to time to all the citizens. However, new variants of coronavirus are always out there as these coronaviruses are constantly changing themselves rapidly through a process known as mutation.
The cycle of mutation will occur continuously leading to the emergence of new variants. As these viruses change, they will become more diverse and the symptoms if infected will be changed as well. A major concern right now in our country is the highly transmissible and fast-spreading Delta variant. Delta variant was first documented in India in October 2020. Delta variant is believed to be up to 60% more contagious compared to the Alpha variant and it will become the dominant variant of the coronavirus soon. It was first identified in Malaysia in early July 2021 and has led to another wave of COVID-19 here. This Delta variant may cause a higher hospitalization rate and more severe complications to humans. The incubation period will be shortened to 3 to 7 days compared to 2 weeks in the Alpha variant. Delta variant usually attacks the elderlies and people with weakened immune response. Infection caused by Delta variant will progress quickly leading to severe cases in just 3 to 4 days. Some might even be admitted into the ICU in 24 hours. The Delta variant is so much more contagious as it has higher viral load, it is better at infecting people who are not sufficiently immuned. Delta variant is transmitting at a very high speed with a ratio of 1:4, meaning that 1 infected person might spread the viruses to 4 persons and so on in the same space, same unit or even same building. In order to break the chain of transmission, ones should practice social distancing at a distance of at least 2.5m.
Comparison Among Different Coronavirus Variants
There are 4 main variants of coronaviruses around the world right now which are Alpha (B.1.17), Beta (B.1.35), Gamma (P.1) and Delta (B.1.617) variants. The following shows some differences among these strains of virus:
Common Symptoms Caused by Delta Variant
The symptoms of COVID-19 will evolve in pace with the evolution of the virus strains. Other than the usual symptoms like fever and cough, there are some additional symptoms of the Delta variant that we need to pay attention at such as:
Effectiveness of Vaccines on Delta Variant
Vaccination appears to show some benefits against Delta variant, even though there is less protection provided by the vaccine compared to other variants of coronaviruses. The following data show the efficacy rates of the vaccine against the symptomatic infections caused by Delta variant by some studies.
Furthermore, vaccinated people are less likely to get hospitalized against Delta variant. The efficacy rates against hospitalization are showed below:
The best way to combat the Delta surge is still the vaccination as fully vaccinated people are having lower risk to be threatened by Delta variant. However, new variants will continue to appear as long as there are large number of unvaccinated people around the world and a new version of the Delta variant, known as Delta Plus is already circulating in other part of the world. If this Delta Plus abroad our country, the unvaccinated communities in our country remain at risk of getting infection.
Reference:
1. The symptoms of the Delta variant appear to differ from traditional COVID symptoms. Here’s what to look out for [Internet]. The Conversation. 2021 [cited 17 July 2021]. Available from: https://theconversation.com/the-symptoms-of-the-delta-variant-appear-to-differ-from-traditional-covid-symptoms-heres-what-to-look-out-for-163487
2. Jay Hilotin S, Shyam A. Krishna S, Alex Abraham S, Seyyed Llata S. Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta COVID-19 variants: How dangerous? [Internet]. Gulfnews.com. 2021 [cited 17 July 2021]. Available from: https://gulfnews.com/special-reports/alpha-beta-gamma-delta-covid-19-variants-how-dangerous-1.1624872935207
3. How effective are coronavirus vaccines against the Delta variant? [Internet]. Ft.com. 2021 [cited 17 July 2021]. Available from: https://www.ft.com/content/5a24d39a-a702-40d2-876d-b12a524dc9a5
4. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) [Internet]. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2021 [cited 17 July 2021]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/variants/variant.html
5. How effective are COVID-19 vaccines against the Delta variant? [Internet]. Los Angeles Times. 2021 [cited 17 July 2021]. Available from: https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2021-07-02/how-well-do-covid-19-vaccines-cover-the-delta-variant
6. Effectiveness of an Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine in Chile | NEJM [Internet]. New England Journal of Medicine. 2021 [cited 17 July 2021]. Available from: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2107715?fbclid=IwAR0ITkADdmafRq8Bx_ce33cDrA72htAxooODiEd6dhFXf1WDyCQw1qoK3O8
