Three key facts about the Delta variant, according to prestigious Argentinian doctor Marta Cohen

To the extent that the Delta variant spreads around the world “like a forest fire”, becoming dominant in a large number of countries, The scientists’ magnifying glass is positioning itself more and more on this disturbing version of SARS-CoV-2.

With the information available to science today, It is known that contagiousness, transmissibility, the increase in the number of hospitalizations, the incidence of vaccine effectiveness, their symptoms and mortality are the six most important aspects to know. related to this form of COVID-19 first detected in India at the end of 2020.

Recently, the Argentinian pediatric pathologist Marta Cohen -oriunda from La Plata- who currently works in the Sheffield Children’s Hospital, United Kingdom, provided clarification on what you need to know about the variant of the coronavirus which affects so much the world and for which the alarms are triggered in our country.

The specialist gave three key facts to understand the Delta variant: On the one hand “the average incubation time is less than four days; than the most present a viral load 1,260 times higher than with the initial variant from Wuhan; and more than 50% of infected people are contagious before they have symptoms, according to researchers Guangdong, China, who studied 167 contacts of patients with COVID-19 with the Delta variant ”.

“This determines that the isolation of these patients must be early ”, The scientist pointed out that in recent months, and through her own videos posted on social media, she was providing key information on infection prevention methods and vaccine advances.

The variant of the coronavirus It has already been detected in 132 countries in 5 of the six regions of the world. to move mainly in people who have not yet been vaccinated. Studies conducted by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the strong contagion of the mutation which is spreading rapidly around the world, but also ensured that 99.99% of people vaccinated with the full regimen avoid hospitalization and death.

Nathan Fletcher, president of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, California, USA, He said a few days ago that the Delta variant is “the highest risk for those who have not yet been vaccinated with the full schedule”. “Almost 95% of our Delta variant cases come from those who are not fully vaccinated,” said Fletcher.

At the end of July, the variant was the cause of more than 80% of new cases of COVID-19 in the United States, according to CDC estimates. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized that it is the version of the coronavirus that is “the fastest and most suitable” among the variants detected so far.

Five cases of people residing in the city of Buenos Aires have been identified with the Delta variant of the coronavirus without being able to establish an epidemiological link without a traveler, a report published by the Nation’s Ministry of Health indicated on Wednesday. Likewise, the data was corroborated by the Buenos Aires health portfolio.

“Until Friday August 13, in Argentina, they were identified 130 laboratory-confirmed Delta variant cases of SARS-CoV-2, of which 125 correspond to cases imported or linked to importation (100 to international travelers and 25 to persons linked to said travelers – close contacts or contacts of their contacts); and 5 cases unrelated to importation (residents of the city of Buenos Aires), ”the document said.

On why the variant has not yet “exploded” as it did in Europe, India and the United States, Cohen He warned: “My hypothesis, and that of many men and women of science, is as follows: the predominant variant in Latin America has been Lambda (Andina) and given that it is also more contagious and less resistant to vaccines, like the Delta; One possibility is that the Lambda variant has become a major local competitor, preventing the Delta variant from quickly establishing itself as in other parts of the world. However, Delta is increasing in some Latin American countries: Ecuador, Colombia and Brazil, for which we must take precautions ”. In this way, he reinforced the idea that “we must continue to take care of ourselves”.

Meanwhile, the researcher in virology at CONICET and member of the Argentine Society of Virology, Alejandra Capozzo, explained to Infobae that full COVID-19 vaccination today is the key to the Delta variant challenge. “It’s a very contagious variant. So when more people are fully vaccinated, there will be fewer people at risk of contracting the Delta variant, ”he said.

KEEP READING: