state of Iowa is one of five states currently being investigated by the U.S. Education Department over mask mandate bans. However, a southern Iowa district court temporarily overturned the ban, and the ICCSD has reinstated its mask mandate. Locally, the Delta variant has affected students
at West in several ways. The risk associated with it has caused some students to make a last-minute decision to stay online this school year, including Emily Beltran ’22. “I want to be cautious, because I’m with my mom, and I don’t want to get sick, because she has no form of vaccines … I also don’t want to
spread it to anybody else, especially since Delta is more contagious than any other variant out there,” Beltran said. “I was quite saddened by it, actually, because it’s my senior year, and I can’t spend it at school. It was a tough decision to make. I thought to myself, ‘This is one [year] I have to sacrifice.’”
FAST FACTS DELTA VARIANT
DELTA VARIANT
Originated in India.
Originated in China.
First identified in December 2020.
First identified 2020.
The Delta variant can cause ~2x more infections than the original strain of the virus. Source: National Public Radio
Sources: United States Environmental Protection Agency, The Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine
Surgical mask: 71.5% effective
N95 respirator: 90-95% effective
March 2021: Eta and Iota variants are designated as “variants of interest”
in
January
Will infect up to three people in an unmitigated environment. Sources: National Public Radio, The Lancet, American Society For Microbiology, The American Journal of Managed Care
“Fastest and fittest” variant identified so far.
MASKS AND EFFECTIVENESS
Dec. 2020: Alpha and Beta variants are designated as “variants of concern”
VS
Will infect up to seven people in an unmitigated environment.
ORIGINAL STRAIN
Cotton bandana: 49-50% effective
ORIGINAL STRAIN
98.9% of U.S. COVID-19 infections are made up of the Delta variant as of September 4.
Source: CDC
May 2021: Delta variant is designated as a “variant of concern”
Aug. 2021: Mu variant is designated as a “variant of interest”
Source: WHO
Jan. 2021: Gamma variant is designated as a “variant of concern”
April 2021: Kappa variant is designated as a “variant of interest”
June 2021: Lambda variant is designated as a “variant of interest”
VARIANT OF INTEREST:
VARIANT OF CONCERN:
A variant with specific genetic markers that could affect transmission, diagnostics, etc. and has limited prevalance in the U.S.
A variant that has specific genetic markers like variants of interest as well as increased transmissibility and disease severity. HEALTH & SCIENCE
Source: CDC
OCT. 1, 2021
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