The COVID-19 delta variant, which was originally discovered in India, has been detected in more than 80 countries and continues to mutate as it spreads, says the World Health Organization (WHO). It is becoming a dominant strain in countries like the United Kingdom.
The delta variant now makes up 10% of all new cases in the US, with studies showing the variant is even more transmissible than other variants. Scientists warn the data suggests that this variant is around 60% more transmissible than the alpha variant, which was previously known as the UK or Kent variant.
Experts believe it is more likely to lead to hospitalizations and this has been observed in countries like the UK. Moreover, WHO officials said there were reports that the delta variant also causes more severe symptoms, however, more research is needed to confirm this. The CDC’s updated list of symptoms includes fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting and diarrhea as possible symptoms of infection. But there are also millions of people who have had COVID-19 with no symptoms at all. And scientists are still trying to determine the extent of asymptomatic transmission.
Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London, who runs the Zoe COVID Symptom study, noted that COVID-19 is now acting differently. “It’s more like a bad cold in this younger population and people don’t realize that, and that hasn’t come across in any of the government information,” he said. “Since the start of May, we have been looking at the top symptoms in the app users and they are not the same as they were.”
Spector said the number one symptom is headache, then followed by sore throat, runny nose and fever. “More traditional COVID symptoms such as a cough and loss of smell were much rarer now with younger people experiencing much more of a bad cold or funny off feeling.”
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Dr Scott Gottlieb, a former Food and Drug Administration commissioner, said the delta variant will likely become the dominant strain in the United States and could spike a new epidemic heading into fall. In the UK, cases have spiked among young people and the unvaccinated, leading to a rise in hospitalizations in those cohorts. Because of the spread of this variant, the UK government has delayed further loosening of COVID-19 restrictions.
