Delta Variant Gives Rise to New Cases

• In today’s Recommendations for industry, we discuss how the Delta Variant is giving rise to new cases, and how our increased infectious disease understanding assists in mitigating this risk and that of other workplace communicable and infectious diseases.
• The U.S. plans to invest over $3 billion into antiviral pills to combat COVID-19 when symptoms onset in order to minimize infection.
• New data by Public Health England finds that COVID-19 reinfections are low; of almost 4 million COVID-19 infected individuals, only about 0.4% of cases were reinfections (as studied in England).
• In the UK, the surge in COVID-19 cases is driven very noticeably by youths who carry the Delta variant; in fact, the Delta variant now accounts for 90% of all COVID-19 cases in the UK.
• An additional study published in Cell found the current available vaccines were not as effective against the Delta variant.
• Africa is seeing a full-blown third COVID-19 wave caused by a few different reasons including rise in variants but also scarce vaccine supplies.
• A pre-peer reviewed studied of COVID-19 variants in Japan has found that the Rt of the Alpha variant is about 1.5 while the Delta variant is 1.8. The Delta-variant is expected to become the dominant variant in Japan by mid-July (around the time of the Olympics which is still set to happen).
  • To that end, Japan is easing states of emergency in Tokyo and eight other prefectures (Reuters). While measures will be instilled at the Olympic Games, public health experts wonder if the Olympics will become a superspreading event (The Hill).
•  

[em_section_title layout=”1″ title=”__empty__” title2=”Key ” title_highlight=”Points:” title_sub=”__empty__” title_icon=”__empty__” show_bar=”__empty__” show_img=”__empty__” description=”__empty__” title_lr=”t_left” _id=”397526″ custom_css=”{`kc-css`:{`any`:{`title-text`:{`font-size|+ .section-title h2,.title_tx h2`:`1.4em`,`padding|+ .section-title h2,.title_tx h2`:`27px inherit inherit inherit`},`highlight-text`:{`color|+ .section-title h2 span,.title_tx h2 span,.em-icon i`:`#973333`}}}}” image=””]

Delta Variant Gives Rise to New Cases

Although COVID cases had been declining, we are beginning to see a rapid increase in the percentage of cases related to the Delta variant (B.1.617.V2 – first identified in India). Last week, Delta caused more than 90% of the new COVID-19 cases in the UK and has increased in the U.S. from 2.7% on May 22 to 10% by June 16, with even higher rates in some states.

The Delta variant has also been shown to have a 60% higher infectivity rate (but no increase in mortality), and as causing a five times higher rate of positivity in youth than in seniors.  Additionally, prior immunity – from vaccination of COVID-19 infection – provides less protection against Delta that the originating strain.

There have been some positive general health outcomes with the pandemic, however, as people are taking more ownership of their health, seeing a better connection with their daily behavior, and have become overall more aware of infectious disease risks and protections. 

It is this awareness that businesses can use to assist in continuing and/or building their worker protections plans. We know that workplace communicable and infectious diseases can of critical risk – and challenge – particularly in the food industry, but the expertise gained during the pandemic can be strategically applied to help protect workers and businesses to a greater extent than ever before.

Give TAG a call if you’d like us to help work through a continuing worker protection program!