People have shown symptoms 5.8 days after being infected with the Delta variant of the coronavirus, on average, Dr. Chandima Jeewandara said.
The Director of the Allergy, Immunology and Cell Biology Unit of Sri Jayewardenepura University said the symptoms were evident after 1.8 days after they first tested positive for viral Ribonucleic acid (RNA), which is a molecule similar to DNA.
“That left almost two days for individuals to shed viral RNA before they showed any sign of COVID-19,” he tweeted.
Dr. Chandima Jeewandara said before the Delta variant emerged, individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 took an average of 6.3 days to develop symptoms and 5.5 days to test positive for viral RNA, leaving a narrower window of 0.8 days for oblivious viral shedding.
“As a result, 74% of infections with the Delta variant took place during the presymptomatic phase, which is a higher proportion than for previous variants,” he explained.
He went on to say that the Delta variant has an R0 of 6.4, which is much higher than the R0 of 2-4 estimated for the original version of SARS-CoV-2. R0 indicates how contagious an infectious disease is.
Vaccinated individuals were also 65% less likely than unvaccinated individuals to infect someone else, Dr. Jeewandara clarified.
He added that this is a significant and reassuring finding as COVID-19 vaccines remain effective and a vital part of our response to the pandemic. (NewsWire)