- The Delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus now accounts for nearly all of the coronavirus infections globally, fuelled by the unchecked spread of the novel coronavirus in many parts of the world.
- So far, vaccines are still able to defend against serious disease and death from Delta, but scientists remain on alert.
- The UK Health Security Agency has designated the AY.4.2 a “Variant Under Investigation.”
- Virus experts are closely watching the evolution of Delta, looking for any sign that it has acquired mutations that would allow the highly transmissible variant to pierce the immune protection of vaccines and natural infection.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus’s Delta form currently accounts for nearly all coronavirus infections worldwide, thanks to the new coronavirus’s unregulated proliferation in many regions of the world. Vaccines have so far proven effective in protecting against serious disease and death caused by Delta, but experts are still on high alert as reported by CNA.
Delta still dominant
The Delta strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, first discovered in India in December 2020, is still the most dangerous.
Delta is classified as a variety of concerns by the World Health Organization, which indicates it has the potential to increase transmissibility, cause more severe disease, or reduce the effectiveness of immunizations and therapies.
According to Shane Crotty, a virologist at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology in San Diego, Delta’s “superpower” is its transmissibility.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Delta is more than twice as contagious as prior SARS-CoV-2 versions.
According to studies, it is more likely to send sick patients to the hospital than previous strains of the virus.
Vaccinated people who become infected with Delta have the same quantity of virus as unprotected people, and both can spread the virus to others.
Delta offspring
Many vaccination specialists now anticipate that all future varieties will be Delta offshoots, owing to Delta’s global dominance.
AY.4.2 is a prominent Delta “grandchild” that is mostly found in the United Kingdom, where it accounts for about 10% of sequenced virus samples.
Scientists are still researching what, if any, benefits these mutations provide.
The AY.4.2 has been recognised as a “Variant Under Investigation” by the UK Health Security Agency.
AY.4.2 has spread to at least 42 countries, including the United States, according to the WHO.
More on the way
Virus specialists are keeping a tight eye on Delta’s evolution, seeking signs that it has gained mutations that might allow the highly transmissible form to evade vaccination and natural infection immunity.
Despite this, existing vaccines only prevent severe sickness and death, not infection.
Even among those who have been vaccinated, the virus can replicate in the nose and transmit the disease through tiny, aerosolized droplets.
According to Dr Gregory Poland, a vaccine developer at the Mayo Clinic, defeating SARS-CoV-2 would likely necessitate a new generation of vaccines that also inhibit transmission.
Until then, Poland and other experts claim, the world will be in chaos.
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Source: CNA
