An internal report of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has revealed that the Delta variant may cause more severe illness than other variants and spread as easily as chickenpox.

According to The Washington Post, which first published the report, the document is an internal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) slide presentation. The document outlines that the Delta variant, first identified in India, might spread from vaccinated people at the same rate as unvaccinated people.

According to the document, the variant is more transmutable than the viruses that cause MERS, SARS, Ebola, the common cold, the seasonal flu and smallpox, and it is as contagious as chickenpox. It might also cause more severe disease, the document outlines.

Infection with the Delta variant produces virus amounts in the airways that are tenfold higher than what is seen in people infected with the Alpha variant, which is also highly contagious, the document noted.

The release of the document comes after the CDC reverse for people who are vaccinated. The CDC had on May 13 announced that those who are vaccinated need not wear a mask indoors or outdoors. The new guidelines suggest that people, even if fully vaccinated, need to wear a mask indoors in communities with substantial virus spread.

Source: India Today