Delta cases show 300 times higher viral load – S. Korea study

SEOUL, Aug. 24 (Reuters) – People infected with the more transmissible Delta variant have a viral load 300 times higher than those with the original version of the COVID-19 virus, when symptoms are first seen, a revealed a South Korean study.

But the amount gradually declined over time – up to 30 times in four days and more than 10 times in nine days – and it matched levels seen in other variants after 10 days, the Korea agency said on Tuesday. of Disease Control and Prevention (KDCA).

The higher load means the virus spreads much more easily from person to person, increasing infections and hospitalizations, Health Department official Lee Sang-won said at a conference. hurry.

“But that doesn’t mean that Delta is 300 times more contagious… we think its transmission rate is 1.6 times the Alpha variant and about twice the original version of the virus,” Lee said.

The Delta variant of the new coronavirus was first identified in India and the Alpha variant in the UK.

To prevent the spread of the Delta variant, now the dominant strain worldwide, the KDCA urged people to get tested immediately when they develop symptoms of COVID-19 and to avoid face-to-face meetings.

The rapid spread of the Delta variant and low vaccination rates have taken much of Asia by surprise, especially in emerging markets, even as the economies of Europe and North America reopen. Read more

The study compared the viral load of 1,848 patients infected with the Delta variant with 22,106 people who had other strains.

South Korea reported 1,509 new cases of the coronavirus on Monday, bringing the total to 239,287 infections, with 2,228 deaths.

It vaccinated 51.2% of its 52 million people with at least one dose of a vaccine, while 23.9% were fully vaccinated.

Editing by Jacqueline Wong

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