HomeLifestyleHealth & FitnessDelta Variant's Severe Dangers, Even for Fully Vaccinated - Report

Delta Variant’s Severe Dangers, Even for Fully Vaccinated – Report

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The CDC has finally published the data that led to its recent reversal on mask recommendations for vaccinated Americans to wear masks indoors in COVID-19 hotspots.

The report urges health officials to “acknowledge the war has changed” by laying out the evidence that this variant appears to be the most dangerous yet.

The document reveals that the agency recognises the need to revamp its public messaging to emphasise vaccination as the best defence against a variant that is so contagious that it behaves almost identically to a novel virus, spreading faster than Ebola or the common cold.

Researchers discovered that nearly three-quarters of the infections occurred in people who had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with one of three shots approved for emergency use in the United States.

Furthermore, tests revealed that immunised people had approximately the same viral levels in their noses and throats as unvaccinated people.

However, among the fully vaccinated group, there were only four hospitalizations and no fatalities, demonstrating that the vaccines are very effective against severe disease and death.

“The new data is scary,” said Dr Ali Mokdad, an epidemiologist with the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

“This is a stubborn virus and this mutation is a game changer.”

The team examined COVID-19 cases associated with summer events and large gatherings in Provincetown, Massachusetts’s Cape Cod, between July 3 and July 17.

Thousands of residents and visitors descended on the summer town for Independence Day celebrations and family vacations, resulting in overcrowded bars, restaurants, rental homes, and other venues.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health began receiving reports of an increase in cases associated with the county on July 10.

The county’s 14-day rolling average of COVID-19 cases increased from zero to 177 cases per 100,000 persons on July 3.

By July 26, 469 cases had been identified, with 74 percent – or 346 – being among fully vaccinated people who had been vaccinated for at least 14 days.

46 percent of this group had received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, 38 percent had received the Moderna vaccine, and 16% had received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The remaining 26, or 84 cases, occurred in individuals who were not vaccinated, received only one dose, or whose vaccination status was unknown.

The remaining 26%, or 84 cases, occurred in individuals who were not vaccinated, received only one dose, or whose vaccination status was unknown.

Almost 80 percent of those with ‘breakthrough’ infections had symptoms such as a cough, fever, or a headache. 

Four of the five COVID-19 hospitalised patients were fully vaccinated, with two having underlying conditions.

There were no fatalities in either group.

This demonstrates that the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are highly effective against severe disease and death.

To check levels of the virus, CDC experts used the cycle threshold (Ct) value.

After swabbing an infected individual, the sample is isolated and subjected to several amplification cycles to determine the presence of viral RNA or genetic material.

The Ct value indicates the number of cycles required to detect the virus, after which the machine will shut down. Any value less than 30 indicates a high viral load.

Between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, there was virtually no difference in the Ct value.

The Ct value for fully vaccinated patients was 22.77, while the unvaccinated group had a Ct value of 21.54.

In an ideal world, the number of vaccinated individuals would be greater than 35 and closer to 40, indicating low virus levels.

“The findings are troublesome,” said Dr William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist and a professor of preventative medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.  

‘Frankly it’s not what I would have expected. II would have frankly expected vaccinated people to have lower viral loads…That makes me uneasy and explains it’s much more contagious than the original Covid virus.’

Photo By Alberto Ortega/Europa Press via Getty Images

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