The Delta variant is now the most common mutation in the UK. — © AFP
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The classic corona symptoms are fever, cough and loss of smell or taste. “But Covid is behaving differently now,” British researchers warn. And that has everything to do with the emerging Delta variant, which first appeared in India and is now the most common mutation in the United Kingdom.
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Tim Van RoeySource: The Guardian
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“It’s really important to realize that since the beginning of May, the most common symptoms aren’t the same as they used to be. With the emergence of the Delta variant, headache is now the main symptom, followed by sore throat, runny nose and fever.” So says Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London, in the British newspaper The Guardian. Cough comes in fifth, while loss of sense of smell doesn’t even make the top 10. “When you’re young and get milder symptoms, it can feel like a bad cold. Then stay home and get tested.”
Because the danger is that young people assume that they “just have a cold” and still keep dating others. This allows the virus to spread further and also reach the older or vulnerable populations, who are more at risk of serious disease symptoms.
Research further indicates that the Delta variant is at least 40 percent more contagious than the British or Alpha variant. The risk of hospitalization is even twice as high.
first shot
The Delta variant now accounts for three in four new infections in the United Kingdom. The number of cases increases most sharply in the population group under 30 years of age. By way of comparison: in our country the share of infections with the Delta variant is below five percent.
The explanation lies in the vaccination strategy. In the United Kingdom, it has been decided to give everyone one shot first. But the vaccines protect less well against the Delta variant when one has only received one dose. A large part of the British population is not yet fully vaccinated, and therefore less protected.
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