Report: Delta variant as contagious as chicken pox

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A delta outbreak occurs in a city in the U.S. following Fourth of July celebrations. U.S. health officials draw worrisome conclusions about the risk of infection from the data. The “New York Times” has an internal report that also looks at the viral load of vaccinated people.

According to an article in the New York Times, the Delta variant could be as contagious as chickenpox. The newspaper refers to an internal report of the US health authority CDC. According to the report, the delta variant is much more contagious than previous variants, is more likely to break vaccine protection, and can cause more severe illnesses than any other known version of the virus. It is said to be more transmissible than viruses that cause MERS, SARS, Ebola, colds and seasonal flu, according to the report. The risk of infection is about the same as chickenpox, he said. These are considered highly contagious.

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“Almost any contact between an unprotected person and someone with chickenpox leads to infection,” the German Federal Center for Health Education explains on infektionsschutz.de. As their name suggests, they “can be transmitted over a long distance by the wind.” Whether the risk of infection of the delta variant in this aspect is to be compared with that of chickenpox, could show publications of the CDC to the delta variant, which are expected for Friday.

According to The New York Times, which already has the CDC’s latest findings, the agency’s documents emphasize the importance of “universal mask-wearing” in light of the higher risk of infection and current transmission rates. In its latest guidelines, the CDC had not yet made a universal recommendation for mask-wearing outdoors. However, the agency already advocates mask-wearing in busy outdoor environments in high-risk areas, which is currently much of the U.S.

The New York Times article also suggests that vaccinated people could be similarly contagious to unvaccinated people. CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, the agency’s director, acknowledged to the newspaper that vaccinated individuals with symptomatic delta infection carry just as much virus in their nose and throat as unvaccinated individuals and can spread it just as easily. However, they do so less often because vaccinated individuals are less likely to develop symptomatic courses.

Other experts interviewed by the New York newspaper, referring to the health department’s data, said the vaccines were nonetheless highly effective in preventing serious illness, hospitalizations and deaths among vaccinated individuals.

High vaccination rate among those infected in Provincetown.
The latest CDC report draws on data from several studies, including an analysis of a recent delta outbreak in the Massachusetts town of Provincetown that began after Fourth of July celebrations in the town. As of yesterday (Thursday), 882 cases had been recorded there. About 74 percent of them were vaccinated, according to local health officials.

“It’s time to blame the unvaccinated”.
New York infectious disease specialist Celine Gounder told The New York Times that those involved in the Provincetown outbreak had carefully compiled lists of their contacts and exposures. “This is one of the most impressive examples of citizen science I’ve seen.”

A federal official noted to the newspaper that the tone of the document reflected alarm among CDC scientists about the spread of Delta across the country. Thus, the internal CDC report then states that the agency’s immediate next step is to “recognize that the war has changed.”