The Delta Variant of Covid-19: Global Alert on its Contagiousness
Recent documents from the United States are raising alarms about the Delta variant of Covid-19, a strain of the virus spreading with alarming rapidity. This variant is now compared to chickenpox in terms of contagiousness, and infected individuals appear to carry a significant viral load in their nose and throat, whether vaccinated or not. These findings come from an analysis conducted in Massachusetts.
In just a few weeks, the Delta variant has swept away the summer’s carelessness in many countries, including the United States and Israel, which thought themselves safe from new waves. These nations find themselves reinstating restrictive measures in the midst of summer to try to contain the spread.
Since the end of 2019, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused over 4.2 million deaths worldwide, according to a tally by Agence France-Presse (AFP) as of Friday, July 30th, based on official figures provided by each country’s authorities. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the actual death toll could be two to three times higher when taking into account excess mortality directly and indirectly related to the disease.