[Altavia]

Originally Posted by Malsua

Ok, so let's make it a little easier.

R0 (R Nought) is the basic replication of a disease. Measles is super high. Each person who gets the measles, spreads it to 12 to 18 other people.

Original Sars-cov2, I.E. The Corona Virus, is somewhere north of 2 and somewhere south of 4. I.e R0 of 2-4.

The Delta Variant is much greater than that for two reasons. One, it's easier for the human body to recognize there is a protein that needs some help. That's what the Arginines are.

A Protease is a helper enzyme, and super simplifying it here, Sees those bits of the corona virus that are asking for help(arginines) and dissolves them. This allows the virus payload to get injected into the cell.

With 3 arginines sitting there on the stalk of the spike protein, it's really easy for the body to see this and help the poor little virus that can't do anything without some help.

The other reason Delta is so contagious is that the amount of viral shedding seems to be much much greater and sooner in the infection process. This again, is probably because it's so much easier for the protease to come along and dissolve those arginines. I.e. it infects FASTER.

As to the final part, the last I read out of Isreal is that while infections are way up, deaths are way down. This is a good thing. This means herd immunity will be achieved much sooner.

Delta is also getting though Vaccinated folks, pretty regular too. I don't know what the numbers are, but I do know two ladies in my sister's golf group, both fully vaxxed got the delta. Sinus infection, coughing, but on the mend already. Shrug, no idea what those numbers are as far as push through, but it's higher than I would like to see, but being that this disease seems to have lost a lot of it's deadliness, let 'er rip.

Interesting point, the varients seem to surge and burn out once the next more infectious varient takes hold.

Do these mutations have any effect on the accuracy/sensitivity of the COVID tests?

Anecdotally, I'm seeing more vaccinated family/friends getting and recovering upper respiratory symptoms but are COVID negative.