As a result of this situation the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States (CDC) had to back down. In his update on the use of face masks they point out that even vaccinated people must carry them. Both groups opposed to immunization and the emergence of new mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 virus have caused the regression.
The motive behind the danger
To understand the problem, it is necessary to consider that recently the World Health Organization (WHO) reclassified it as “of interest”. In this denomination are all those that are more infectious or that cause more complications in patients. While another fundamental aspect is that in some cases it can cause current vaccines to be less effective.
The most recent research has shown that the Delta Variant can be up to 60 percent more infectious. This implies a higher viral load in sick people and therefore they can transmit the virus more easily.
Protection offered by vaccines
For its part, an investigation published in The New England Journal of Medicine was given the task of verifying the efficacy of the different vaccines already available against the Delta Variant. While in some the decrease is minimal, in others it is much more significant, especially when the immunization schedule has not been completed.
Pfizer
- 36% with one dose
- 88% with two doses
AstraZeneca
- 30% with one dose
- 67% with two doses
Sputnik V
Johnson & Johnson
Modern
- Effective but with unknown percentage
In this regard, the Pfizer inoculation is the best option, although only when both doses have been received. While even the pharmaceutical company has proposed the application of a third to offer greater security and long term.
While other options such as AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson present results that raise doubts as to how recommendable they can be against the Delta Variant. In both, the decrease in protection is too great.
With respect to Moderna, it is indicated that it does protect against this mutation but it is not mentioned in what percentage although it is suspected that it is a small figure. While other alternatives such as Sinovac and Cansino still do not have data on the subject.
From the above, it can be determined that even if one or two doses of the vaccine are already available, it is not synonymous with total protection, especially against the Delta Variant. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain prevention and hygiene measures to reduce the risk of possible infections.