COLOMBO (News 1st): Health officials say a person infected with the Delta variant of COVID-19 has a 100 times more transmissibility rate than a person infected with the Alpha strain of COVID-19.

Dr. Ranjith Batuwantudawa, Director of the Health Promotion Bureau, said that the virus, which enters the body within a day or two, adds a large amount of infected droplets to the air.

Meanwhile, 23 persons who obtained both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have died of the infection, Dr. Batuwantudawa added. He also stated that the relevant deaths occurred more than two weeks after receiving the second dose.

Moreover, he mentioned that all those who died after obtaining both doses are persons who were suffering from chronic diseases.