U.S. health officials are scrambling to get more Americans vaccinated to keep the Delta variant, first identified in India, from proliferating across the United States.
The variant has become the dominant strain in the U.K., accounting for an estimated 60% of new cases. It’s now more prevalent than the Alpha strain, formerly called the B.1.1.7 strain, which was first identified in the U.K., and transmission is peaking in people between the ages of 12 and 20, White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said at a press briefing Tuesday.
In the U.S., the Delta variant accounts for more than 6% of cases scientists have been able to sequence, he said. The actual number is likely higher, as the U.S. is running the genetic sequence on a fraction of cases.
“In the U.K., the Delta variant is rapidly emerging as the dominant variant ... It is replacing the B.1.1.7,” Fauci said. “We cannot let that happen in the United States.”
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“We continue to observe significantly increased transmissibility and a growing number of countries reporting outbreaks associated with this variant,” the WHO said of the Delta strain last week, noting that further study was a high priority.
The Delta strain has a stranglehold on India, causing a spike in infections and deaths that has clogged hospital systems. The Indian government announced Monday that the country will soon begin providing Covid-19 vaccines for free to all adults in the country.
Fauci also said that the Delta variant is more contagious and may be associated with a higher risk of hospitalization than the original “wild type” Covid-19 strain.
Studies also show that two doses of the Pfizer or AstraZeneca shots are effective against the Delta strain, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Two doses of the Pfizer vaccine were shown to be 88% effective against the Delta variant, while two doses of the AstraZeneca shot were shown to be 60% effective against the strain, according to NIH data.
Fauci stressed the importance of getting two doses after NIH studies showed that, three weeks after being given, just one dose of either vaccine provided only 33% efficacy against the Delta variant.
Two doses of the Pfizer vaccine were shown to be 88% effective against the Delta variant, while two doses of the AstraZeneca shot were shown to be 60% effective against the strain
'But, stop wearing masks, go back to normal life, and if you are exposed to someone with Covid, or if you have Covid symptoms, do not get tested.' / CDC Director
I thought this was terrible public policy, and news like this is certainly not changing my mind.
From what I’ve read, the numbers are better than that. Once you’re vaccinated there is a chance you’ll still get it, but it it’s not likely to put you in the hospital and even less likely to kill you. I’m good with those odds.
Delta is a problem for the unvaccinated. They should prolly go get the shot.
-------------------------------- Life is short. Play with your dog.
Originally posted by Steve Miller: From what I’ve read, the numbers are better than that. Once you’re vaccinated there is a chance you’ll still get it, but it it’s not likely to put you in the hospital and even less likely to kill you. I’m good with those odds.
Delta is a problem for the unvaccinated. They should prolly go get the shot.
Originally posted by Steve Miller: From what I’ve read, the numbers are better than that. Once you’re vaccinated there is a chance you’ll still get it, but it it’s not likely to put you in the hospital and even less likely to kill you. I’m good with those odds.
Delta is a problem for the unvaccinated. They should prolly go get the shot.
My first reaction was, “What’s in it for me?” Good to know the vaccination is protective.
But still, so many vulnerable people due to age (kids) and immune system issues. And people in other countries.
Two doses of the Pfizer vaccine were shown to be 88% effective against the Delta variant, while two doses of the AstraZeneca shot were shown to be 60% effective against the strain
What about Moderna??
I. want to know too! Maybe eventually, people will combine vaccination protection (wondering if that might have negative effects.)
Or is it possible that would fill in the gaps in vulnerability left by the other vaccines? After all we've been talking about boosters. eventually becoming available - to promote greater resistance to newer, dangerous variants or just because our first vaccination's protection wears out.
-------------------------------- The most dangerous word in the language is "obvious"
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The people who don't want it pose a risk to everyone. Aside from allowing the virus to continue to circulate, more circulation also equals more opportunity for the virus to mutate into something that evades the vaccines.
Originally posted by QuirtEvans: The people who don't want it pose a risk to everyone. Aside from allowing the virus to continue to circulate, more circulation also equals more opportunity for the virus to mutate into something that evades the vaccines.
Originally posted by QuirtEvans: The people who don't want it pose a risk to everyone. Aside from allowing the virus to continue to circulate, more circulation also equals more opportunity for the virus to mutate into something that evades the vaccines.
I get that, but if the goal is shots in arms then it will be a lot more efficient to get vaccinations to people who want them rather than trying to convince the unwilling. Let’s get ‘em out to kids and people in remote areas.
The unwilling will come around once approval is final and their employers require it. (US military - I’m looking at YOU)
-------------------------------- Life is short. Play with your dog.
The delta Covid variant, first detected in India, has now spread to more than 80 countries and it continues to mutate as it spreads across the globe, World Health Organization officials said Wednesday.
The variant now makes up 10% of all new cases in the United States, up from 6% last week. Studies have shown the variant is even more transmissible than other variants. WHO officials said some reports have found that it also causes more severe symptoms, but more research is needed to confirm those conclusions.
The WHO is also tracking recent reports of a “delta plus” variant. “What I think this means is that there is an additional mutation that has been identified,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s Covid-19 technical lead. “In some of the delta variants we’ve seen one less mutation or one deletion instead of an additional, so we’re looking at all of it.”
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The WHO on Tuesday also added another Covid mutation, the lambda variant, to its list of variants of interest. The agency is monitoring more than 50 different Covid variants, but not all become enough of a public health threat to make the WHO’s formal watchlist. The lambda variant has multiple mutations in the spike protein that could have an impact on its transmissibility, but more studies are needed to fully understand the mutations, Van Kerkhove said.
The lambda variant has been detected by scientists in South America, including in Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Argentina, thanks to increased genomic surveillance.
