According to an internal presentation by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Delta variant is as contagious as chickenpox.
The New York Times cited the document presented, stating that the Delta variant is more likely to break through protections afforded by the vaccines and may cause more severe disease than all other known versions of the virus.
Furthermore, the Delta variant is more transmissible than the viruses that cause MERS, SARS, Ebola, the common cold, the seasonal flu and smallpox.
The Director of the agency, Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, acknowledged on Tuesday that vaccinated people with so-called breakthrough infections of the Delta variant carry just as much virus in the nose and throat as unvaccinated people and may spread it just as readily, if less often.
What you should know
- The Delta variant (SARS-CoV-2 virus strain) of the Coronavirus was first discovered in India in December of 2020. After which, it swept rapidly through the country and spread to Great Britain as well.
- The first Delta case in the United States was diagnosed in March 2021 and has become the dominant strain in the U.S.
- In Nigeria, however, the contagious strain of the virus was first detected on the 9th of July, 2021, as announced by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). As part of Nigeria’s COVID-19 response, NCDC has been working with the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), African Centre for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID) to enable the detection of variants of concern, and initiate response activities.
- Citizens are still advised to observe all the necessary precautions to stop the spread of the virus.
