5/1/2023 0 Comments Delta variant origin![]() The essential challenges faced by viruses are the same as those faced by our hypothetical robots, but instead of factories, viruses have to break into human cells, take over the cellular machinery to make more viruses, and break the new viruses out without getting caught. If that sounds familiar, my friends, it’s because that’s exactly how evolution works. Sometimes the new robot won’t work at all, but sometimes it will be a little better at one of its essential tasks than its predecessors. The robots’ replication process isn’t 100% accurate, and there’s a chance that any newly manufactured evil robot is slightly different from the robot that broke into the factory in the first place. They also have to make sure nobody sets off any warnings alerting the authorities, and then all the newly manufactured evil robots have to get out of the factory so that they can break into the next one.Īnd one more thing: nobody’s perfect. Then they have either to run the factory machinery themselves or to force the staff to run the machines for them. How do the robots do it? First, they have to get inside the factory. Let’s say the world is threatened by a race of evil robots who perpetuate themselves by breaking into factories and using the factory machinery to make replicas of themselves. So I’m going to use an analogy to give you the general picture and only delve into the jargon-y details when I absolutely must. As it turns out, a little evolutionary thinking can help us understand that too.Īlthough I personally can nerd out all day on the molecular biology of viruses,most people’s eyes predictably glaze over after they hear just a few terms like receptor-binding-site, membrane fusion, and furin cleavage. Next, we’ll tackle the implications of the Delta and any future variants on the effectiveness of vaccines. First, we’ll look at where the Delta variant came from, how evolution has shaped its characteristics, and what might happen next. There are a lot of questions, so I’m going to tackle the topic of the Delta variant in (at least) two parts. Judging from the questions I’m getting from friends and relatives, confusion about the latest iteration of the pandemic is surging too. In the bar chart below, the Beta variant B.1.1.7 (in light orange) has been almost completely replaced by the Delta variant B.1.617.2 (in medium orange) in just 12 weeks.Īs you might have predicted, the Delta variant’s increased transmissibility has led to a dramatic surge in cases in the U.S., especially - again predictably - in places where vaccination rates are relatively low. cases - effectively crowding out and replacing all previously circulating strains. First detected in India in December 2020, the Delta variant caused an explosive outbreak there, with case rates suggesting that the variant was 50% more contagious than the Alpha variant, which was, in turn, 50% more contagious than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus.īy the end of August 2021, Delta was responsible for more than 99% of U.S. The virus itself seemed to be in retreat in the U.S., and life seemed to be returning to normal.īut then the Delta variant arrived. Vaccination rates were gradually rising to close to 50%. ![]() ![]() Sign up to receive our coronavirus update each week.įor a while there, at the end of the 2020-2021 school year, we thought we might be finished with our coronavirus-related articles. Check out our entire series explaining the science involved in the coronavirus pandemic.
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