We are getting some disturbing information about just how quickly the Delta variant can spread from our friends down under.
Delta variant more contagious
Scientists have already determined that the Delta variant of COVID-19 is much more transmissible than any other version out there. The variant, first identified in India, is estimated to be 60 percent more contagious than the variant that surfaced in England.
It is spreading globally, including in Australia.
Now officials in Australia are revealing just how simple contact can help the Delta variant spread.
In New South Wales, a government official said surveillance video showed the virus spread between two people who briefly walked past each other in a mall. They were only near each other for five to ten seconds and never physically touched.
This is a big change from the start of the pandemic. Back then scientists said it took 15 minutes of close contact for COVID-19 to jump from one person to another.
The new evidence that it can now be spread in just seconds could be a feature of the Delta variant and could explain why it is spreading so successfully.