An internal paper by the US Department of Disease Control and Prevention shows the dangers of the Delta variant - it is as contagious as chickenpox.
Munich - All over the world, the Delta variant shows, despite sometimes high vaccination rates, that the corona pandemic should not yet be declared over.
The trend that could also be observed in Israel and Great Britain is now also evident in the United States.
While on June 29, just under 3 p.m. new cases were reported, on July 29 there are already 92,000.
How dangerous and contagious the variant actually is, shows an internal paper of the US agency for disease control and prevention, which is available to the
New York Times
.
It states that Delta is more contagious than MERS, SARS, Ebola, the seasonal flu, smallpox and similarly contagious as chickenpox.
For the authority it must now be a matter of "accepting that the war has changed".
Coronavirus: Vaccinated people carry the virus just like unvaccinated people
Rochelle Walensky, the agency's director, warned on Tuesday: Vaccinated people with so-called breakthrough infections would carry the virus in their noses and throats as well as unvaccinated people.
Accordingly, they are also contagious, albeit to a lesser extent.
Walensky's authority has therefore advised vaccinated citizens in districts with a high incidence to wear a mask even in covered buildings.
According to the internal paper, however, even this measure cannot be good enough: "In view of the permeability and the vaccination rate, universal wearing of a mask is essential," it says.
Coronavirus: Vaccine successes still exist
Mouth and nose protection is especially recommended for people with weak immune systems - even in areas with low incidences. The same applies to vaccinated people who have contact with children, older adults and other vulnerable people. Studies from Canada and Scotland have shown that infections with Delta are more likely to lead to hospital stays. According to the data, the variant produces ten times as many viruses in the respiratory tract of infected people as the alpha variant, which in itself was very contagious.
Nonetheless, the CDC is sticking to the vaccination successes and lets breathe a sigh of relief: “Overall, Delta is the worrying variant that we thought it was. But the sky doesn't fall on our heads, the vaccines still protect us from the worst cases, ”says New York virologist John Moore. Perhaps this realization will encourage indecisive citizens to get vaccinated after all. Experts have now explained why the incidence trend in delta hotspots has suddenly declined.
(ta)