Anyone infected with the delta variant spreads the virus two days before the first signs of infection. This is according to a study by the University of Hong Kong that was published in the scientific magazine Nature.
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“It’s just harder to stop,” said Benjamin Cowling, an epidemiologist at the University of Hong Kong. Together with his colleagues, he analyzed the test data of 101 people in Guangdong, China, who became infected with the delta variant between May and June. They found that most symptoms started 5.8 days after infection. And that virus particles could be detected 1.8 days after infection.
This means that there are actually two days left after infection in which there is still no sign of Covid-19.
According to a previous study by Cowling, which was not published, and other estimates, that period would have been shorter with earlier variants of the coronavirus. In the original variant, for example, it would have taken 6.3 days before symptoms appeared and 5.5 days before the virus particles were detected. That left you with only 0.8 days before there were any signs of Covid-19.
The researchers also noted that the people infected with the delta variant had a higher concentration of virus particles than those infected with the original variant. As a result, 74 percent of infections with the delta variant occurred in the presymptomatic phase. That is a higher percentage than with the original variant.
According to the researchers, these elements contribute to the faster spread of the delta variant.
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