In many parts of the world, there is an alarming increase with cases of coronavirus and experts say that a key factor for this latest wave is the Delta variant.
The variant is spreading about 55% faster than the alpha type, which was first identified in the UK late last year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Experts say that "this version spreads about 50% faster than the version that started infecting people in the beginning, at the end of 2019".
"We should think of the Delta variant as a Covid version with steroids," Andy Slavitt, a former medical staff adviser to Joe Biden, told CNN.
How is the virus spreading so fast?
One study suggests that the Delta variant can transmit faster than previous variants because it makes more copies of itself within our bodies at a greater speed.
When scientists in China compared dozens of delta cases with other species since the onset of the pandemic, they found that patients with the Delta variant had viral loads that were 1,260 times higher.
Doctors, meanwhile, are calling for "people to be vaccinated as soon as possible" because "this is the only, most effective way out of this pandemic".
What else you need to know about the variant:
- First identified in India.
- It quickly became the dominant variant, overloading the country's health care system there.
- Very soon identified in the UK.
"This is the most contagious version of the virus we've seen throughout the pandemic," said Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.
- Now, it has spread across the US and accounts for 83% of cases there.
Source: CNN
