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Friday, September 29, 2023 | 
Coronavirus U.S. & World

Delta variant is COVID-19 ‘on steroids,’ expert says

Not worried about the delta variant of the coronavirus? Well, it’s worse than the normal COVID-19, an expert said

By Herb Scribner Herb Scribnerhscribner@deseretnews.com
SHARE Delta variant is COVID-19 ‘on steroids,’ expert says
A woman breaks down as she prays before the cremation of a relative who died of COVID-19 in Gauhati, India.

In this July 2, 2021, file photo, a woman breaks down as she prays before the cremation of a relative who died of COVID-19 in Gauhati, India.

Anupam Nath, Associated Press

Is the delta variant of the novel coronavirus better or worse than the original mutation? Well, an expert has recently given us an idea.

Delta variant vs. 2020 version of COVID-19

Andy Slavitt, a former senior adviser to President Joe Biden’s COVID Response Team, told CNN that the delta variant is much more worrisome than the COVID-19 we’ve seen before.

  • “We should think about the delta variant as the 2020 version of COVID-19 on steroids,” Slavitt told CNN. “It’s twice as infectious. Fortunately, unlike 2020, we actually have a tool that stops the delta variant in its tracks: It’s called vaccine.”
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However, Slavitt said that for fully vaccinated people, the delta variant “presents very little threat to you, very unlikely that you’re gonna get sick.”

Delta variant more widespread than we think

Two senior officials with the Biden administration told Politico that the delta variant might be more widespread than the U.S. government thinks.

  • “It is everywhere now,” one official told Politico. “The risk really is in the unvaccinated community. We’re starting to see more and more people get sick and need medical attention.”
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But experts continue to maintain that fully vaccinated people are protected against variants. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said on the “Today” show that vaccines stop variants for the most part.

  • “If you are vaccinated, you are safe from the variants that are circulating here in the United States,” she said.
  • She added, “We would suggest that you look to your local policies. ... Masking policies are not to protect the vaccinated, they’re to protect the unvaccinated.”