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OfLukas Rogalla
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shut down
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The delta variant of the corona virus is gaining ground in Germany. But does it change anything in the symptoms of the infected? A look at the data situation.
Frankfurt – The corona virus has been rampant for more than a year. In many places the so-called delta variant prevails as the dominant one, including in Germany, like the Figures from the Robert Koch Institute demonstrate. B.1.617.2 was first found in India. Compared to the wild type, this variant is considered more contagious and dangerous. The World Health Organization (WHO) therefore classifies them as “worrying”.
There are still many unanswered questions about the Delta variant: for example, whether other corona symptoms occur with an infection and whether it could trigger a more severe course of the disease.
Coronavirus Develops: Have the Symptoms Changed with the Delta Variant?
At the beginning of the corona pandemic, fever, a mostly dry cough, shortness of breath, joint pain and the sudden loss of the sense of smell and / or taste were reported as the most common symptoms. Covid-19 sufferers also suffered from headaches, tiredness, fatigue or diarrhea.
According to US doctors, data show that the symptoms of an infection with the delta variant of the coronavirus are now slightly different from those of the wild type. Nevertheless, it is too early to be able to make definitive statements. “The information we are getting from the UK and Europe, as well as initial surveys in the US, is that the Delta virus infection appears to be more likely to produce symptoms that resemble a typical cold,” said William Powderly, US infectious disease researcher. across from the Huffington Post news portal. “It’s a sore throat, a mild cough and a stuffy nose” – this can inevitably lead to confusion between a corona infection and a cold. The English authorities advise, for example, to get tested for Covid-19 when sneezing.
The symptoms that were previously observed, such as problems with the respiratory tract and fever, would occur less frequently with the Delta variant. “That doesn’t mean they won’t perform,” Powderly adds. “But there seems to be a change in the frequency and type of symptoms.” British researchers also evaluated data as part of the “Zoe Covid Symptoms” study at King’s College London. Fever continues to occur, but the loss of the sense of smell and / or taste as a symptom is less common.
Corona: Does the Delta variant make you “sicker”?
Why the symptoms seem to have changed is still unclear among experts. But it could be related to the group of people who are currently infected most often.
While some Delta infected people only show symptoms that correspond to a common cold, there is “preliminary evidence” that other infected people “feel their symptoms more intensely” with Delta. “We saw that hospital admissions for younger groups with the Delta variant seem to have increased,” said Jonathan Leizman, head of a US health care company, as an example.
On the question of whether B.1617.2 really makes you “sicker” than the wild type, no scientific consensus has yet been reached, as this and other variants are new. At present, researchers only have one-off studies, surveys or anecdotal evidence available to them.
Coronavirus: The Most Common Symptoms
Wild type Delta-Variant fever Sore throat to cough to cough Loss of smell and / or taste Stuffy nose Shortness of breath sniff —
“Data from England and Scotland show that the severity of the disease may have increased,” said Carlos Malvestutto, an infectious disease specialist at Ohio State University. “That could lead to an increased risk of hospitalization. People who have not been vaccinated are particularly susceptible because the new variants – and especially the delta variant – could spread faster and make the course of the disease more difficult. “
Symptoms of the Delta variants after the corona vaccination
A clearly overwhelming majority of hospital admissions due to Covid-19 in the US occur in unvaccinated people. In some regions of the country, 99 percent of infections, hospital stays and deaths can be traced back to the unvaccinated, reports the LA Times newspaper of Los Angeles County.
Vaccinated people are not 100 percent protected against infection with the coronavirus. There are isolated cases in which people become infected with the virus even after a full corona vaccination. However, this does not mean that the corona vaccines from Biontech / Pfizer, Moderna and Co. are not working. Above all, the vaccines protect against severe courses of Covid-19. The Data from the USA shows that most of the people infected after a corona vaccination showed only mild symptoms, and a third also showed no symptoms at all. (Lukas Rogalla)
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