The reproductive number of the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 is far higher compared to the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 virus

Ying Liu; Joacim Rocklöv

doi:10.1093/jtm/taab124

The reproductive number of the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 is far higher compared to the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 virus

J Travel Med. 2021 Oct 11;28(7):taab124. doi: 10.1093/jtm/taab124.

Authors

Ying Liu¹, Joacim Rocklöv²

Affiliations

¹ School of International Business, Xiamen University Tan Kah Kee College, Zhangzhou 363105, China.
² Section of Sustainable Health, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå SE-90187, Sweden.

Abstract

The Delta variant is now replacing all other SARS-CoV-2 variants. We found a mean R₀ of 5.08, which is much higher than the R₀ of the ancestral strain of 2.79. Rapidly ramping up vaccine coverage rates while enhancing public health and social measures is now even more urgent and important.

Keywords: Alpha variant; B1.617.2; COVID-19; Delta variant; R0; SARS-CoV-2; Wuhan; basic reproductive number; epidemic potential; pandemic; transmissibility; variants of concerns.

MeSH terms

Basic Reproduction Number*
COVID-19
Humans
SARS-CoV-2* / physiology