New York City: An internal presentation circulated within the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the Delta variant is much more contagious and may cause more severe disease than all other known versions of the virus.
The New York Times while citing the document reported that Covid-19 Delta variant is more contagious than MERS, SARS, Ebola, the common cold, seasonal flu and smallpox viruses, and it is as contagious as chickenpox.
Earlier on Tuesday, the agency’s director Dr Rochelle P. Walensky acknowledged that vaccinated people with so-called breakthrough infections of the Delta variant carry just as much virus in the nose and throat as unvaccinated people, and may spread it just as readily, if less often.
The internal document, however, outlines a broader and even more bleak view of the variant.
A federal official familiar with the research said “the CDC is very concerned with the data coming in that the Delta is a very serious threat that requires action now”.
As of Thursday, the United States recorded 71,000 new cases per day on an average.
The vaccinated people are, as per the new data, transmitting the virus and contributing to those numbers, which is far less so than unvaccinated people.
ALSO READ: New Yorkers To Be Paid USD 100 To Get COVID-19 Vaccine At City-Run Sites: Report
The agency, based on the information in the document, introduced new masking guidelines for the vaccinated people earlier on Tuesday.
The document noted the Delta variant produces tenfold higher levels of virus in the airways than the Alpha variant, which is also very contagious.