Coronavirus spreads. But don't panic! (topical thread)

[mordant]

The specifics with Delta is that viral loads are very high in the early stages, which wasn't the case with Alpha.  So people, even those whose bodies successfully fight off an infection, can shed lots of virus before they have done so.

Exactly. In this way, a completely asymptomatic vaccinated person who is infected can, for a time, spread the disease as readily as a vaccinated person who has symptoms. The critical difference is that in most cases the infection peters out before it can take root deeper in the body. But I still don't want to risk catching Covid because (1) I could infect others and (2) ongoing "long covid" symptoms can appear weeks later, even in asymptomatic people.

As to (1), the more people infected, the more new variants appear in the world, one or more of which can continue the unvirtuous cycle of new surges, which tend to beget more variants, etc.