3 Things You Need To Know About Delta Variants, More Contagious!

Illustration of delta variant corona virus (India Today)

JAKARTA - It has been more than a year since the Covid-19 pandemic first spread in Indonesia. When people are getting used to it, and vaccinations are running smoothly, a new variant appears. Referred to as the Delta variant, this type first appeared in India last December.

It did not take long for the Delta variant to spread to various parts of the world. In Indonesia, the Delta variant of the corona virus is now one of the most dominant.

Moreover, being vaccinated does not mean you will be spared from this variant. Indeed, citing Science Alert, those who have been vaccinated tend to be safer against infection with this delta variant.

However, as a preventive measure, progress and basic knowledge about the Covid-19 variant of Detla are still needed. Below, the VOI team has summarized from various sources of information about the delta variant.

Delta is more contagious than other variants

Delta is the designation of variant B.1.617.2., a mutation of SARS-CoV-2 that emerged in India. The first Delta case was identified in December 2020. This mutation spread rapidly, until it became one of the most dominant variants in India, Great Britain and Indonesia.

According to data released by the Research and Development Agency of the Indonesian Ministry of Health on July 6, there were 553 cases of infection with the new variant of the corona virus in Indonesia. That number is the accumulation of the six new variants; namely Alpha, Beta, Delta, Eta, Iota, and Kappa.

Of the six variants, B.1.617.2. became the most dominating with a total number of 436 cases. Followed by the Beta variant with a total of 57 cases, 51 cases from Alpha, 5 cases of the Eta variant, and 2 Kappa cases, and 1 case of the Iota variant.

Those who have not been vaccinated are more vulnerable

Citing the findings of the United States Central Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people who have not received the vaccine are more susceptible to infection with the Delta variant. In the United States, the proportion of those who have been vaccinated and those who have not been vaccinated is unequal.

In states where not all citizens are vaccinated – such as Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, and West Virginia, the number of cases of infection with the Delta variant is increasing rapidly. Compared to countries that have removed restrictions because almost all of their citizens have received vaccines. Surprisingly, both children and youth are also susceptible to infection with this variant.

"Recent research from the United Kingdom shows that children and adults under the age of 50 are 2.5 times more likely to be infected with the Delta variant," said Yale Medicine pediatric infectious disease specialist Inci Yildirim via Science Alert, Wednesday, July 7 .

Symptoms of Delta Variant

As a mutation of the corona virus, the symptoms of infection with the Delta variant are certainly not much different. Citing the explanation of the Professor of Genetic Epidemiology from King's College London, Tim Spector, the symptoms that arise from this variant infection are similar to those of a severe flu.

In addition, the team continued, there are also several other symptoms that most suffer from the Delta variant of Covid-19 infection, including:

Headache Cold Sore Throat Fever