The coronavirus variant driving India¡¯s devastating COVID-19 second wave is the most infectious to emerge so far. Doctors now want to know if it¡¯s also more severe.
Hearing impairment, severe gastric upsets and blood clots leading to gangrene, symptoms not typically seen in COVID-19 patients, have been linked by doctors in India to the so-called delta variant. In England and Scotland, early evidence suggests the strain ¡ª which is also now dominant there ¡ª carries a higher risk of hospitalization.
Delta, also known as B.1.617.2, has spread to more than 60 countries over the past six months and triggered travel curbs from Australia to the U.S. A spike in infections, fueled by the delta variant, has forced the U.K. to reconsider its plans for reopening later this month, with a local report saying it may be pushed back by two weeks. Higher rates of transmission and a reduction in the effectiveness of vaccines have made understanding the strain¡¯s effects especially critical.
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