Delta Variant Dominates

The Delta variant now dominates other variants of the Covid-19 coronavirus. If you do not know very much about the variants of Covid-19, this article will encourage you to begin learning about them.  The Delta variant, a mutated version of Covid-19, has been making some alarming Covid-19 news lately.  Alejandro De La Garza and Jeffrey Kluger recently reported some critical information about this strain of the Covid-19 Virus. In the medical world, the Delta variant is “formally named B.1.617.2.”   It is one of the four strains that recently originated in India.

 

Welcome to FLASS Fast Facts about the Delta Variant of Covid-19

For a while, many of our FLASS blog topics related to  Covid-19. Then came vaccinations and easing of regulations.  However, FLASS introduces a few words of caution as we in the United States continue to re-open our country.  We think we need to stay acutely aware of new developments around the globe as well as within our own country. Viruses mutate. They adapt.

So, now without undue anxiety, let’s look at some FLASS fast facts about the newest variant of Covid-19 and its dangers. FLASS says we must continue to be vigilant against Covid 19 variants. Without research, we could end up unprepared like we were when Covid-19 first hit us.

 

An Arms Race—Delta Fights Other Variants

The above-mentioned Garza/ Kluger article recently appeared in Time magazine’s June 15 edition. Quite cleverly, the authors compared the COVID-19 virus to “an arms race among the emerging variants of the virus…” Now, “there’s no question which one is winning. It was just last month that the World Health Organization labeled Delta a “variant of concern…”

The other strains we have met along the way to our recent reopening include:

• The Alpha strain, which showed up in the U.K.
• Then came the Beta strain, from South Africa,
• and the Gamma strain entered the scene in Brazil.
  However, experts say, “But Delta is fast becoming the most worrisome of the bunch.”

 

Sounding the Alarm—But, Quietly, for Now

Some health officials fear that Delta might reverse the “progress made in countries, like the U.S. and U.K….” Here in the U.S., there is no question we have been conquering the pandemic.

Life is beginning to return to a normal pace.  Smiling people who have had their vaccinations have abandoned masks and social distancing. And it is a wonderful time.  However, some scientists worry that the way the Delta Variant dominates all the other strains of the virus could change all of that.

 

Delta Variant Dominates the Covid-19 Scene in Many Ways

1. In the US, we suffered under our dominant strain, called the “Alpha.” Now researchers say Delta is 60% more  “transmissible within households…” 
2. Likewise, in England, the government reports “show that numbers of the Delta (VOC-21APR-02) variant in the UK have risen by 33,630 since last week to a total of 75,953. The most recent data show 99% of sequenced and genotyped cases across the country are the Delta variant.”
3. And researchers in both China and England have stated that with “Delta-variant patients,” they “have seen symptoms develop more quickly and grow more severe than those in people infected with other variants.”
4. Also, with Delta, viral loads go up faster. Then they go down more slowly.

Back in the USA, Dr. Michael Osterholm works as the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. He stated, “I think that with the data we have, there’s a good chance that it could take over the 117 [Alpha strain] as the primary variant just because it’s more infectious…” And he added, “It’s going to create a real additional challenge.”

 

Delta Strain Does Not Have to Dominate in the US

Here at FLASS, we advise common sense and caution. We know that the national average for immunity from vaccinations speaks well for our country.

• On the one hand, we have vaccinated at least 175,867,860 people or 54% of the population with at least one dose. Moreover, 147,758,585 people, or 45% of the population have been fully vaccinated. Note the following link to easily track the areas where the Covid-19 statistics are rising. Keep in mind that experts also say we need to reach 70 % vaccinations to truly say we have conquered Covid-19. Thus, if you physically can tolerate the shot, but have been hesitant, we urge you to get it.
• Thus, FLASS believes we are well on our way to dominating all the variants, perhaps even Delta.
• On the other hand, FLASS is also aware we need more research study to determine the risks of critical illness and deaths from the Delta strain. You see, we have only had a month for statistical research on the Delta strain, and to put it bluntly, we have not yet recorded mortality rates on the Delta strain of Covid-19.

The Big FLASS Messages Behind Delta Strain’s Dominance

Therefore, to keep your family safe, we tell vacationers and travelers to check their Covid-19 facts for their destination areas. This is important because some states and counties have a higher vaccinated population than others.  Thus, wearing a mask in unfamiliar areas, especially crowded ones, might still be a good idea.

 

Terrific Take-Aways from our Topic:  Delta Strain Dominates Covid-19 Virus

No matter what you hear in the rumors of the Internet, “…epidemiologists say it may be too soon to know for certain if Delta causes more severe illness…”

• But, in the summary of this blog, remember they have proven it is more contagious. And you might get sicker much quicker than with other strains.
• There’s no doubt Delta Dominates all the other strains of Covid 19.
• Important factors like vaccination rates and restrictions in some areas are affecting the spread of this variant as well as variants of Covid-19.

Therefore, it is important to recognize that factors, like restrictions and vaccination rates, may be affecting disease spread. According to Dr. Michael Osterholm, “The good news is that the Delta variants, just like the other variants, do not appear to escape the protection afforded by the vaccines available in the U.S.”