Why the #delta #variant is causing an explosion of cases among the unvaccinated | PBS NewsHour
▻https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/why-the-delta-variant-is-causing-an-explosion-of-cases-among-the-unvaccinated
De la nécessité de vacciner massivement beaucoup plus rapidement,
In counties where COVID rates are currently the highest, there is a direct correlation to the fact that the vast majority of residents are unvaccinated. More than 99 percent of the people who died from COVID-related causes in June were unvaccinated, Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Sunday, and the rise of delta means “we are seeing increased hospitalizations and deaths among unvaccinated individuals,” CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Thursday.
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Data suggest this variant is three times as infectious as the original coronavirus strain, according to Dr. Tom Frieden, former CDC director who founded Resolve to Save Lives. But it remains unclear if this virus is deadlier or leads to more severe illness, said Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stanford University School of Medicine. Some data suggest that symptoms associated with a delta variant infection — a runny nose and sore throat — may be slightly different than earlier in the pandemic. For example, the loss of one’s sense of smell is being reported less frequently.
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Some estimates suggest that roughly 10 percent of the world’s population is currently immunized. In most countries, health care workers and at-risk populations are still exposed to potential infection, hospitalization and death due to the virus. A scenario health experts fear is that eventually, if transmission continues unfettered in many parts of the world, another variant could emerge that evades the highly effective vaccines we currently have.
To meet demand, Frieden said companies must share their intellectual property and technical know-how more broadly so that more countries around the globe can have access to vaccines, prevent deaths and reduce the virus’ spread.
“We need to move much faster than what we’re doing,” he said.
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For the coming weeks and months ahead, Frieden warned of a dynamic we’re already seeing: “a tale of two countries — vaccinated and unvaccinated.” #COVID-19 infections will remain low, with occasional upticks, in highly vaccinated places. But in communities where most people remain unvaccinated, Frieden said, “you’re already seeing much higher rates — five, 10, 20 times higher.” He noted that’s lower “compared to the deadly spring,” but that cases are increasing rapidly.
“What the delta variant does is it shortens the fuse between the beginning of spread and explosive spread,” Frieden said.
“This variant is like tinder sitting in a dry forest” waiting for a spark among the unvaccinated, said Dr. F. Perry Wilson, an epidemiologist who directs the Clinical and Translational Research Accelerator at the Yale School of Medicine.