Chickenpox viruses can be transmitted through the air even over a long distance; almost every contact between an unprotected person and someone suffering from chickenpox leads to infection.

In an internal document from the American health authority Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) it now says: The delta variant of the coronavirus is as contagious as chickenpox.

The paper, on which the Washington Post first reported, lists previously unpublished data.

According to this, a vaccination against coronaviruses protects more than 90 percent from serious disease processes - even with the delta variant.

However, people who have been vaccinated twice, who in rare cases still contract the coronavirus, pass on the delta variant with the same infection rate as those who have not been vaccinated.

Johanna Christner

Editor in the section “Germany and the World”.

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According to the paper, a viral disease with the delta variant is more severe in people without vaccination protection than in previous mutations.

It should be taken into account that the fight against the coronavirus changed with the appearance of the delta variant, which the CDC describes as ten times as contagious as the alpha variant.

The US Department of Health recommends vaccinating more people and taking safety measures such as wearing masks.

CDC director Rochelle Walensky has since confirmed the authenticity of the document. "People should understand that we are not raising a false alarm here," she told CNN. "This is one of the most infectious viruses that we have ever encountered - comparable to measles and chickenpox." The public presentation of the findings should take place today, Friday.

US President Joe Biden warned of rising case numbers because of the Delta variant. In the United States, around 49 percent of the population of around 330 million people is fully vaccinated to date. Most recently, the number of daily new corona infections rose again to around 60,000 on average. "We need to wear a mask to protect each other and stop the virus from spreading rapidly while we work to get more people vaccinated," Biden said. He now wants to promote the vaccination campaign in the United States with financial incentives for newly vaccinated people.