Delta COVID-19 variant can be passed on even by those vaccinated: US top health body

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned in an internal paper that the Delta COVID-19 variant can be passed on even by vaccinated people and may even be deadlier than previous coronavirus strains.

This variant requires a different way to educate the public about the hazard, according to the document "Improving communications around vaccination breakthroughs and vaccine effectiveness." 

The document, titled 'Improving communications around vaccine breakthrough and vaccine effectiveness,' stated that the Delta variant necessitated a new approach to help the public understand the threat, including making it clear that unvaccinated people were more than 10 times more likely to become seriously ill or die than those who were vaccinated. 

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"The immediate next step for the agency is to acknowledge that the war has changed," it said.

According to the study, recommended preventive actions include making vaccinations mandatory for health care providers in order to protect the vulnerable, as well as a return to universal face mask use.

Vaccinated people were less likely to become infected, according to the CDC. Experts also stressed that vaccinated individuals represent a very small amount of transmissions in the country, and majority of the hospitalisations and deaths are unvaccinated people.

Meanwhile, the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus is causing a sudden surge in cases in China, with 15 cities, including the capital Beijing, reporting clusters of positive cases, according to official media on Friday. 

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This is the most widespread domestic contagion since the virus outbreak in Wuhan in December 2019. 

According to the Global Times, a new wave of COVID-19 cases began at an airport in Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province in east China, and has since spread to five other provinces, including the Beijing municipality.

All flights have been halted in Nanjing after a number of airport employees tested positive, according to the city. 

The fast-spreading Delta variant has been recorded in 15 Chinese cities. 

(With inputs from agencies)