4 ms·

CDC Internal Report Calls Delta Variant as Contagious as Chickenpox

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
cblconfederate 5y ago
The evidence was already there: 1000x + more viral load compared to last year's version, and sky high transmission rates R0 ~7 compared to ~1-2 from last year. It's like the nuclear version of the virus has taken over. How much can it adapt further. Also does 1000x higher viral load also mean 1000x higher mutation rate ?
Proven 5y ago
Many people are either immune or vaccinated. They're just looking for reasons to extend extreme measures. Meanwhile, I just saw the news how over 1 billion face masks has hit the oceans so far - where's your "plastic bag outrage", folks?
avgDev 5y ago
What makes this worse is the ability of vaccinated people to spread the virus and show symptoms. Easing masks mandates was a mistake imo, we are reacting way too slow, especially since we have always been lagging behind EU. They were struggling with delta weeks ago, so now it is our turn. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/cdc-mask-decision-stunning-findings-cape-cod-beach/story?id=79148102 https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/cdc-mask-decision-stunning-f...
ohgreatwtf 5y ago
and now lambda variant is 2x delta. the ride is here. just now am getting over delta myself. like a whole different bug.
clarge1120 5y ago
This was entirely predictable. Viral variants are always more infectious (easier to spread) than the initial virus. Those variants, however, are also always weaker (less damaging) than the initial virus. It is true in every case of viral variants.
- phendrenad2 5y ago
  According to the CDC doc, the delta variant is both more contagious and slightly more deadly, so it isn't "true in every case of viral variants".
  - nibsfive 5y ago
    It's more absolute deadly, not more relative deadly.
Fjolsvith 5y ago
I was wondering why other viruses like Chicken Pox or Measles haven't mutated into terribly contagious or dangerous strains? Why haven't there been variants of these viruses that have required new vaccines?
- Throwawayaerlei 5y ago
  Presumably because SARS-CoV-2 is novel, it's early in the process of adapting to humans. Perhaps measles did similar things when it started out as rinderpest jumping to humans as long as 2.5 millennia ago, but medicine and science weren't at a level to notice the progression.
- gibba999 5y ago
  Most viruses evolve to be less deadly over time, since a dead host won't spread the virus as much. Vaccines change that dynamic.
  - Throwawayaerlei 5y ago
    "Vaccines change that dynamic." Any more than natural immunity?
    - gibba999 5y ago
      I think so, yes. 1) Vaccination efforts have been spread out over a rather long time, which is kind of a worst-case. This isn't a unique worst case (natural immunity is sometimes similar), but we kind of picked the worst-case schedule. 2) We have a situation where ~50% of the world is vaccinated and ~50% is unvaccinated, which is kind of a worst-case. 3) Vaccines produce a much stronger response than natural immunity. Normally, with a high-spread virus like COVID19, everyone in a community would catch it, some would die, and we'd all develop natural immunity at roughly the same time. From there on, there would no longer be much selective pressure, since there wouldn't be much virus to mutate. With vaccinations, we have a giant pool of virus (in the unvaccinated) right next to a giant pool of immune individuals (the vaccinated) for what's likely to be years. The vaccinated individuals, at least in my community, are taking literally no precautions against spread -- even casual ones.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

The evidence was already there: 1000x + more viral load compared to last year's version, and sky high transmission rates R0 ~7 compared to ~1-2 from last year. It's like the nuclear version of the virus has taken over. How much can it adapt further. Also does 1000x higher viral load also mean 1000x higher mutation rate ?

Proven 5y ago

Many people are either immune or vaccinated. They're just looking for reasons to extend extreme measures. Meanwhile, I just saw the news how over 1 billion face masks has hit the oceans so far - where's your "plastic bag outrage", folks?

avgDev 5y ago

What makes this worse is the ability of vaccinated people to spread the virus and show symptoms. Easing masks mandates was a mistake imo, we are reacting way too slow, especially since we have always been lagging behind EU. They were struggling with delta weeks ago, so now it is our turn. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/cdc-mask-decision-stunning-findings-cape-cod-beach/story?id=79148102 https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/cdc-mask-decision-stunning-f...

ohgreatwtf 5y ago

and now lambda variant is 2x delta. the ride is here. just now am getting over delta myself. like a whole different bug.

clarge1120 5y ago

This was entirely predictable. Viral variants are always more infectious (easier to spread) than the initial virus. Those variants, however, are also always weaker (less damaging) than the initial virus. It is true in every case of viral variants.

phendrenad2 5y ago
According to the CDC doc, the delta variant is both more contagious and slightly more deadly, so it isn't "true in every case of viral variants".
- nibsfive 5y ago
  It's more absolute deadly, not more relative deadly.

Fjolsvith 5y ago

I was wondering why other viruses like Chicken Pox or Measles haven't mutated into terribly contagious or dangerous strains? Why haven't there been variants of these viruses that have required new vaccines?

Throwawayaerlei 5y ago
Presumably because SARS-CoV-2 is novel, it's early in the process of adapting to humans. Perhaps measles did similar things when it started out as rinderpest jumping to humans as long as 2.5 millennia ago, but medicine and science weren't at a level to notice the progression.
gibba999 5y ago
Most viruses evolve to be less deadly over time, since a dead host won't spread the virus as much. Vaccines change that dynamic.
- Throwawayaerlei 5y ago
  "Vaccines change that dynamic." Any more than natural immunity?
  - gibba999 5y ago
    I think so, yes. 1) Vaccination efforts have been spread out over a rather long time, which is kind of a worst-case. This isn't a unique worst case (natural immunity is sometimes similar), but we kind of picked the worst-case schedule. 2) We have a situation where ~50% of the world is vaccinated and ~50% is unvaccinated, which is kind of a worst-case. 3) Vaccines produce a much stronger response than natural immunity. Normally, with a high-spread virus like COVID19, everyone in a community would catch it, some would die, and we'd all develop natural immunity at roughly the same time. From there on, there would no longer be much selective pressure, since there wouldn't be much virus to mutate. With vaccinations, we have a giant pool of virus (in the unvaccinated) right next to a giant pool of immune individuals (the vaccinated) for what's likely to be years. The vaccinated individuals, at least in my community, are taking literally no precautions against spread -- even casual ones.