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INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – The COVID-19 Delta variant dominates the United States, accounting for more than 51% of new infections.
Cases are also on the rise in Indiana. Currently, 74% of coronavirus infections in the state are the Delta strain. This is up from 48% last month.
Since the Delta variant – formerly known as B.1.617.2. variant – emerged in India, health experts knew it was a more contagious and infectious strain. However, they didn’t know why.
Today, a new study sheds light on the scale of the threat from the delta mutation. According to a recent peer-reviewed article, scientists found that the delta strain is 225% more transmissible than the original SARs-CoV-2. In terms of severity, Dr Amy Beth Kressel, infectious disease specialist at Eskenazi Health, says people infected with the Delta mutation carry an average of 1,000 times the viral load.
“This means that every time an infected person expires there are 1,000 times more viruses [particles] in the air compared to the original strain, ”Kressel told News 8.“ It can affect gravity. If you breathe in more virus, you may become sicker than if you breathe less. So there is a lot of debate about what is going on with COVID. But it’s clearly easier to distribute. In addition, people can make others sicker at an earlier stage of the disease. It could be a day earlier than the original COVID. “
So how did the Delta variant get to the top? According to Kressel, it’s all about competition. Delta wins and the Alpha, Lambda and Beta mutations are lagging behind.
“Delta essentially outshines everything else,” she says. “It seems the levels are higher [of infection] in the respiratory tract of people and this may be part of the reason why it spreads more easily. It can also hold onto our cells better than the original variant. As more and more people become infected, different strains of the virus will emerge. Viruses like this will evolve over time and the more people are infected, the more likely it is to mutate and some of these random mutations will simply compete with others.
From what we know so far, Kressel says the vaccines protect against the Delta variant. But she warns that those who are not vaccinated are playing Russian roulette. Even if a person has a minor case, there could be long-term effects even after the infection has cleared.
Eskenazi Health has partnered with various organizations to organize sessions on the COVID-19 vaccine. For those interested in planning a town hall, please contact them by email: [email protected].
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