The Delta variant of COVID-19 has changed the way Australia is dealing with the pandemic.
It's more infectious, has different symptoms, and has been described as everything from a "tricky bugger" to a "guerilla fighter" by state politicians.
But as the Delta variant spreads, experts are learning more about how it works.
Here are some of the most common questions you have about it.
How contagious is the Delta variant of COVID-19?
It's far more infectious than the virus we were dealing with last year.
In the United Kingdom the Delta variant only emerged in April, but it has quickly taken over as the dominant form of the virus there.
Experts estimate it could be about 50 per cent more transmissible than the Alpha variant, which was already about 50 per cent more transmissible than the original virus found in Wuhan.
"Compared to the original strain, the Delta strain is two times more contagious," said Professor Stuart Turville, a virologist from the Kirby Institute.
The "secondary attack rate", or the number of people who are likely to be infected if they come into contact with an infected person, is also higher.
If 100 people come into contact with someone with the Delta strain, 12 of those people are likely to be infected.
With the Alpha, or UK strain, only eight to nine people are likely to be infected, Professor Turville said.
AAP: Joel Carrett
)What are the Delta variant symptoms to watch out for?
Experts are still learning about the Delta variant, but the symptoms do seem to be different to the "original" coronavirus.
Previously fever, persistent cough and loss of taste or smell were the top symptoms to watch out for.
But with Delta, a headache is the most common symptom, followed by a sore throat, runny nose and fever.
"We have the first data from a study in the UK called ZOE where people self-report their symptoms," Professor Turville said.
"It has found those severe disease symptoms with a loss of smell and shortness of breath, those symptoms have become less common.
"Instead people have symptoms more like the common cold such as a runny nose, sore throat. Unvaccinated people tended to report having a fever.
"So this does look promising and it does look to track a lower severity with the Delta variant."
Is the Delta variant more deadly?
Because the variant is so new, research into it is in early days.
But Professor Turville said so far, mortality rates data looked promising.
"Looking at the 28-day follow up after infection, the death rate for the original variants was 1.9 per cent mortality," he said.
"So far the Delta variant is showing 0.3 per cent mortality.
"That's super encouraging. The early signs look promising, but it is too early to be definitive."
How at risk are children and young people from Delta?
There is research from overseas showing younger people could be more likely to be infected than older people.
But in the places this research comes from, such as the United Kingdom, much of the older population has been fully vaccinated, which could skew the results.
"Anecdotally we have heard that more kids are being infected," Professor Turville said.
"But it's difficult to calculate how susceptible kids are to the Delta variant, primarily because they haven't been vaccinated.
"Also in a lockdown, often adults tend to stay put while children go to school and are more mobile.
"So I would say we need to watch this space to see the impact on children."
What we do know is that the Delta variant seems to be more infectious for everyone.
How effective are vaccines against the Delta variant?
The Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines on offer in Australia both provide protection against the Delta variant.
"The interesting thing is that although the Delta variant is more infectious, the vaccine response against it is very good," Professor Turville said.
"Data from Public Health England shows after two doses of any COVID-19 vaccine, there was 79 per cent efficacy against developing symptoms of the Delta strain compared to 89 per cent against the Alpha strain.
"Vaccines also protect against people getting severe disease and being hospitalised with the Delta strain by 96 per cent compared to 93 per cent for the Alpha strain.
"The numbers are really promising and it is really encouraging."
Reuters: Lee Smith, File photo
)But no matter what vaccine you get, you need two doses to get the best protection against severe COVID symptoms and hospitalisation.
"Vaccines … are a really powerful tool," said Dr Kylie Quinn, a Vice-Chancellor's Research Fellow at RMIT University.
"They are a really great back-up to other public health methods we are using.
"But the key thing to keep in mind is that you need two doses, for both of these vaccines.
"If you only have a single dose of either the Pfizer or the AstraZeneca, the rates of protection for both vaccines drop substantially."
Why is there a Delta variant?
Viruses mutating over time is a normal process.
Every time a virus infects someone, it makes thousands of copies of itself.
But occasionally, the information it is copying goes wrong, and a bit of the genetic code could get changed, or swapped.
Most of the time those little "mistakes" do nothing. But sometimes they change how the virus behaves.
Changes to the Delta variant's code affected the spike protein on the outside of the virus.
It's been called the "double mutant" because it picked up two major changes.
These two changes allowed the Delta variant to bind with our cells better, and then enter them more easily.
That's what's made Delta more transmissible, and why it's spreading so fast right now.
But it's important to remember, vaccines provide a much stronger response than our body does naturally.
And so far, none of these variants have been able to beat the vaccine.
Loading form...
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiY2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIxLTA3LTAyL2RlbHRhLWNvcm9uYXZpcnVzLXZhcmlhbnQtc3ltcHRvbXMtdmFjY2luZXMtc3ByZWFkLzEwMDI1NTgwNNIBKGh0dHBzOi8vYW1wLmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvYXJ0aWNsZS8xMDAyNTU4MDQ?oc=5
2021-07-01 21:00:29Z
52781697983149
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "The Delta COVID-19 variant is more infectious – but there's 'promising' data on vaccines and deadliness - ABC News"
Post a Comment