Delta Variant, Vaccines Ineffective? "Game Has Changed" - US CDC Internal Report

Moderna vaccine administration.
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] As the COVID-19 Delta variant is rapidly spreading in various countries, U.S. health authorities have announced that this variant is as contagious as chickenpox.

On the 30th (local time), American media outlets including The New York Times (NYT) and CNN cited an internal report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to report this. According to the report, the Delta variant spreads as easily as the chickenpox virus, with one infected person infecting an average of 8 to 9 others.

The report explained that the Delta variant can cause "breakthrough infections," transmitting the virus even to vaccinated individuals, and warned that its infectiousness is stronger than that of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Ebola, seasonal flu, smallpox, and the common cold. Originally, COVID-19’s transmissibility was known to be at the level of the common cold, with one infected person infecting about 2 others on average.

The report also indicated that symptoms caused by the Delta variant are more severe than those of the original virus. The Washington Post (WP) cited the document’s content stating, "Regardless of vaccination status, older adults infected with the Delta variant face a higher risk of hospitalization and death compared to younger individuals."

Furthermore, the CDC evaluated the spread of the Delta variant in this report as a "game changer," urging heightened vigilance from health authorities. The contents of this document significantly influenced the CDC’s recent guideline revisions recommending mask-wearing in high-risk cities regardless of vaccination status.

Meanwhile, although the U.S. has continued active vaccination efforts, the spread is intensifying again due to the impact of the Delta variant. Consequently, President Joe Biden, who had appeared without a mask in public in April, has recently reiterated the necessity of wearing masks.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.