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Epidemics

Delta Variant Appears to Cause More Severe Illness, Spread as Easily as Chickenpox: CDC Report

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

As the Delta variant continues to spread across the United States, a new internal government document from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has revealed alarming new information about the potency of this variant. According to the document, the Delta variant appears to cause more severe illness than earlier coronavirus variants and spreads as easily as chickenpox. This has led the CDC to recommend changes to public messaging, emphasizing vaccination as the best defense against the variant. The report also reveals that vaccinated individuals infected with the Delta variant may be able to transmit the virus as easily as those who are unvaccinated, and that some data suggests a higher risk of hospitalization and death among older people, regardless of vaccination status.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Delta variant appears to cause more severe illness than earlier coronavirus variants, according to a new CDC report.
  • The variant spreads as easily as chickenpox, with data suggesting that vaccinated individuals infected with Delta may be able to transmit the virus as easily as those who are unvaccinated.
  • Vaccinated people infected with Delta have viral loads similar to those who are unvaccinated and infected with the variant.
  • The CDC estimates that 35,000 symptomatic infections per week occur among 162 million vaccinated Americans.
  • There is a higher risk of hospitalization and death among older people, regardless of vaccination status, with some data suggesting that the vaccines are not as effective in immunocompromised patients and nursing home residents.
  • The report also includes data showing that vaccinated individuals who become infected with Delta shed just as much virus as those who were not vaccinated.
  • Experts say that the document confirms that it is time to change how people think about the pandemic, with a focus on preventing serious disease and disability rather than on every virus detected in someone's nose.

Statistics:

  • 35,000 symptomatic infections per week among 162 million vaccinated Americans (estimated by the CDC).
  • 80% of those 65 and older have been vaccinated in the last six months (data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
  • Almost 1.5 million troops in the U.S. military will be required to attest to their vaccination status or face frequent testing and other restrictions (announced by the Pentagon).
  • 246,000 state employees in California will have to be vaccinated by August 2 or will be tested at least once a week (announced by Governor Gavin Newsom).

Sources:

  • Washington Post
  • The New York Times
  • U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  • Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO)
  • The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
  • University of Maryland School of Medicine
  • University of California, San Francisco
  • Emory Vaccine Center in Atlanta
  • Columbia University

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