‘Delta variant’ strain of the Corona virus... highly contagious and most prevalent among young people

The emergence of a new strain of the Corona virus called “Delta” has caused increasing fears around the world. This new strain, which was first identified in India, has spread widely in several countries and led to a significant increase in cases and deaths, and the danger also lies behind the rapid spread of it. And that it affects young people more than other strains of the coronavirus. In this report, we learn about the new "Delta" strain, its symptoms and its impact on young people.

Delta strain has already spread to 80 countries around the world and is now most prevalent in India, the United Kingdom and Singapore.

Delta has caused more than 90% of new coronavirus cases in the UK, leading to a 65% increase in new infections since May 1.

The delta variant is 60% more transmissible than the alpha variant - which was first identified in the UK - which in turn was about 50% more transmissible than the original corona strain.

“It’s a super spreader variant, that is worrisome,” says Eric Topol, founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute. It has features that enable escape from the immune system and is perhaps more evasive than the Beta variant (B.1.351) first identified in South Africa, which was the worst until now, says Topol. “Plus, it has the highest transmissibility of anything we've seen so far. It's a very bad combination.”

According to the ABC website, health authorities around the world are particularly concerned in the Delta variant because it appears to be:

• More infectious than other strains of coronavirus
• More resistant to health controls and preventions such as isolation
• Causing more varied and severe symptoms among patients
• Spreading more easily among children

The Delta variant is also known as B.1.617.2 and was previously known as the Indian variant.

 

The delta variant was first identified in India in October last year and is currently the dominant strain in the UK, according to Public Health England figures.

The UK authorities have estimated that the delta variant is 40% more contagious than the alpha variant of the British strain

The delta variant appears to be more commonly associated with a different set of symptoms than other variants, according to a large British study cited by CNBC .

Different symptoms of delta variant

 

1. Headache, sore throat, runny nose and fever.

2. The “traditional” symptoms of corona, such as coughing and loss of smell, are now less common, as young people suffer more from a cold.

3. Other symptoms that do not usually appear in Covid 19 patients have also been reported, such as hearing loss and gangrene, according to Bloomberg. Dr. Abdul Ghafur, an infectious disease physician in Chennai, India, said he's seeing more COVID-19 patients with diarrhea than during the pandemic's first wave. Dr. Ghafur noted that more research must be done to analyze if the newer clinical presentations are linked to the delta variant. 

The effect of the delta variant on youth

In the UK, the delta variant is now responsible for the bulk of new infections. Cases have risen among the young and unvaccinated, leading to an increase in hospital admissions in those groups.

It is hoped that coronavirus vaccination programs can stop the wild spread of the delta variant, so the race is on to protect younger people who may not be fully vaccinated.

Commenting on how quickly the delta variant has become prevalent in the UK, Dr Anthony Fauci, chief medical advisor to the US president, noted that "we cannot allow that to happen in the US," urging more people, especially young people, to be vaccinated.