Around the world, there is a scary increase in cases of coronavirus. Experts say that the Delta strain is what has caused this latest wave of cases.
According to the World Health Organization, the variant is spreading about 55% faster than the alpha strain. The alpha strain was first identified in the United Kingdom late last year and it spreads about 50% faster than the version that first began infecting people in late 2019. Andy Slavitt told that the Delta variant is like Covid-19 on steroids.
Here are some more things you need to know about the variant. The variant is spreading quickly because it does not have a cure.
It was first identified in India
The Delta strain of the virus was first identified in India in 2020. It spread quickly, taking over the country’s health care system. It was soon found in the United Kingdom. “This strain is very contagious,” said Ashish Jha from Brown University School of Public Health.
Now, the Delta strain has reached 50 U.S. states.
The first case of the disease in the USA was in March. Now it makes up 83% of cases that are tested in the USA, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This is a dramatic increase from 50% for the week of July 3. The Delta variant has been found in all 50 US states. This means people are getting it more now than before, and they are mostly unvaccinated people. The average of new daily cases this week is up 55% from last week, with cases rising in 46 states as of Tuesday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Hospitalizations are up 52% over the past 14 days.
Also Read: Socking News: Vaccinated U.K. Health Secretary Tests Positive For COVID-19.
The Delta strain to spread quickly.
The virus is going quickly. One study says the Delta variant can be spread more quickly because it makes more copies of itself inside our bodies.
Scientists in China found out that patients with the Delta variant had much more viruses than patients who got infected early in the pandemic. They also found that even short periods of time can make people sick. This is because there is so much more virus around.
People who are not vaccinated can get sick quickly. They can become sick if they have a short exposure to the virus. United States vaccines seem to be effective against the Delta variant, but there are some breakthrough cases where people who were vaccinated still became very ill.
But less than half of the people in the US are vaccinated. The CDC is warning about a “pandemic of the unvaccinated.” If you are unvaccinated, you should take measures to protect yourself. This includes wearing a mask and staying away from indoor gatherings where there might be others who are not vaccinated.
97% of people who get Covid-19 in hospitals are unvaccinated. 99.5% of people who die from this illness are also unvaccinated. Getting people vaccinated as quickly as possible is our fastest, most effective way out of the pandemic.
