There is an uproar in the world because of the Delta variant. America and European countries are worried that the Delta variant will cause the next wave of Covid. people in India are worried that there might be a third wave because of the Delta Plus variant.
What is this Delta Plus variant?
And when can this third wave happen?
Come, let's try to find out in today's article.
Third Wave of Corona Virus and Delta Plus Variant in India.
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| Source:thehealthsite.com |
Readers, what's special about the mutations is that it
happens in every living being.
Whether it's a human, animal, plant, tree, or even a virus
Mutations accompany reproduction. A person's DNA, when you have children, and
the DNA is transferred, then from one generation to the next, on average there
are 100-200 mutations in the DNA.
Most of the mutations are harmless, can't be seen, and neither
can their effects be felt. same with viruses thousands of mutations take place
in the Covid virus most of them do not bother us. But at times there are such
mutations that make the virus more transmissible so that the virus can spread
easier and at times there are such mutations that make the virus more deadly.
WHO or the World Health Organization keeps a track of the dangerous mutations of Coronavirus.
WHO has classified these mutations into two categories.
- Variants
of Interest
Broadly speaking, Variants of Interest will include those coronavirus variants that have been detected in multiple countries. And which have high transmissibility.
Meaning that they spread easily.
- As compared to the original virus
2. Variants of Concern
The variants of concern include those coronavirus variants that has not only high transmissibility not only do they spread more easily, but the disease caused by them is much more severe.
The effectiveness of the vaccines on these variants is lesser than compared to the original virus.
WHO has put four Covid variants in the Variant of
Concern category:
Alpha Variant: The Alpha variant was called the UK variant initially because it was first found in the UK. Studies have shown that the Delta variant is 60% more transmissible than the Alpha variant.
Beta Variant: the Beta variant was found in South Africa.
Gamma Variant: variant found in Brazil
Delta Variant: variant was first discovered in India that's why it was also called the Indian variant initially. And the Alpha variant was 50% more transmissible than the original strain found in Wuhan in 2019. So you can imagine how much more infectious it is than the original.
The strain of the Delta variant was first found in October 2020 in India. This was the cause of the second wave in India. Today, the Delta variant has spread to over 80 countries. Its transmissibility is extremely high. Meaning it spreads really easily.
A study conducted in the UK has said that because of the
Delta variant, the risk of hospitalization doubles. As compared to the Alpha
variant.
But does getting hospitalized mean that it is more deadly?
It cannot be conclusively said yet it may also happen that this
variant is not more deadly. But because it is so highly transmissible, it
spread among so many people in such little time. So the death rate peaked a lot
in that short time. As compared to the same number of deaths in a longer time
period.
The Delta variant Symptoms :
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| Source: indiatoday.in |
The symptoms of the Delta variant are a little different
than the original Covid-19 symptoms. Originally, a runny nose was not made out
to be one of the major symptoms.
But recently, a study has been conducted in the UK when
people self-reported their symptoms. It was found that among the symptoms of the
Delta variant, the runny nose features prominently in the list of symptoms. Headache,
runny nose, cold, sore throat, were the top symptoms.
So the symptoms of the Delta variant are very similar to the
symptoms of the common cold. Loss of smell not being able to smell things
properly was a major symptom in the original strain of Covid-19.
The good news regarding the vaccines is that according to
the data available till now, almost all the vaccines are definitely effective
against the Delta variant. Pfizer vaccine, AstraZeneca's Covishield vaccine, and others have shown that they are more than 90% effective in preventing
hospitalization and death.
If you catch the Delta Variant after taking both doses:
The only trouble here, though marginal, is that the
effectiveness of the vaccines in preventing symptoms has reduced.
Like AstraZeneca's Covishield's effectivity in preventing
symptoms against the Delta, the variant remains
at only 60% after taking both doses.
Though Pfizer's vaccine is still showing the effectiveness of
88% in it too. Now, the Delta variant is no longer a major concern for India.
Delta Plus Variant in India:
The Indian government has declared the Delta variant as a variant of Concern and some people believe that there will a third wave in India because of the Delta Plus variant.
The limited research conducted till now regarding it has found that the Delta Plus variant
is 60% more transmissible than the Delta variant. and it is highly resistant against some drugs. But the reality is that friends, we don't honestly know much about
it. It is important to note that the
World Health Organization has not
declared it a Variant of Concern yet.
Even though the Indian government has done so.
Indian Council of Medical Research ICMR says that it is too
soon to tell if there will be the third wave because of the Delta Plus variant.
So it seems a bit unlikely that there will be the third wave because of the Delta
Plus variant.
When will Third Wave Come?
the experts believe that there is a very high chance that
there will be a third wave in India. The gap between two waves is said to be generally 15-16 weeks in an epidemic.
A Reuters poll of 40 medical experts was conducted with the
conclusion that the experts said
that a third wave is inevitable. There
will definitely be a third wave. And
they believe that the third wave will come around October of this year.
AIIMS Director
Randeep Guleria says that the third
wave may come in the next 6 to 8 weeks. If
people stop wearing masks and stop following social distancing.
But there are some experts like Dr. N.K. Arora is the Chief of the Centre's Covid-19 Working Group, he says that the third wave of Coronavirus will not happen before December of this year. So there are estimations from October to December by the doctors and experts.
How dangerous can the third wave be?
A report of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research has
stated that it is very likely that
the third wave will not be as severe as the second wave was. It may be less
disastrous than that.
The Vaccination rate in India:
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| Source: livemint.com |
Friends, the good news is that in recent times, the
vaccination rate in India has increased very well. Recently, India broke the
record of vaccinating more than 8 million people in a day. That's an amazing
feat.
The sooner the vaccinations are administered, the sooner
people are vaccinated, we will have a better chance of beating the third wave.
But the unfortunate thing is that this speed of vaccination
may still not be enough to completely avoid the third wave.
The government aims that by the end of the year, the entire
adult population of India will be vaccinated.
Conclusion:
At an individual level, there is only one sure-shot,
long-term solution of being protected from the third wave. And that is to get
vaccinated as soon as you get the chance to. Because it's possible that the
Delta Plus variant does not cause the third wave.
But remember, there are thousands of mutations in this virus every day. Someday, a mutation may crop up, that is more transmissible and more deadly and can bring forth the third wave.
That's why the vaccine is the best chance we have to be safe
from it.
Thank you very much. Hope you Grab the important Information
from the Article.