Views: 4
– Fears about this variant and the precautions we should have
Minapim by Hernan Valenzuela: Although vaccinated, many parents are apprehensive about their children’s safety in relation to the Delta variant, and concern grows as the numbers show the spread of contagion.
First identified in India in December 2020, this variant, also known as B1617.2, has already spread to approximately 100 countries, as indicated by the World Health Organization – WHO. There is indeed a worrying growth, as in two months it went from one to two percent of all new cases of COVID-19 in the United States to more than 50 percent today.
In the UK, studies showed that children and adults under the age of 50 were 2.5 times more likely to be infected.
In China, doctors say patients with the delta variant are sicker than those they treated at the start of the pandemic. And his condition seems to get worse much faster.
The symptoms of COVID-19 in the UK may be changing as the delta variant spreads.
The main symptoms reported in the app include:
- Headache
- Sore throat
- runny nose
- Fever
Coughing is becoming less common and loss of smell is no longer listed in the top 10 common symptoms. Researchers are concerned that people might mistake the symptoms for a bad cold and avoid quarantine, helping to spread the strain.
Why is this variant different?
The Delta variant was considered of concern by the WHO, due to its condition of greater transmissibility, of possible contagion even if the individual is vaccinated, and more difficult to treat or diagnose.
More transferable
Like Alpha, Delta has mutations in the spike protein, which the virus uses to adhere to and infect the cell. These mutations could allow them to reproduce more efficiently. Delta is estimated to be 60% more transmissible than Alpha, and Aplha was already 50% more transmissible than the initial version of the virus.
In practice, viral loads are higher in infected individuals. People with higher viral loads spread more viruses and are more likely to pass the infection on to others.
Delta’s transmissibility came as a surprise to public health experts. At the start of the pandemic, Australia had performed well in controlling it, albeit with low vaccination rates. However, Delta’s infection was the cause of rapid contact between individuals.
A 70-year-old woman was infected while sitting outside a cafe visited by Patient Zero, an airport limousine driver. In the second case, the virus appears to have been transmitted the moment two unmasked individuals crossed paths in a shopping mall. (as seen by the mall cameras)
How does the Delta variant challenge vaccine effectiveness?
The SARS-CoV-2 antibodies target the spike protein to which they were initially exposed, changes in Delta’s spike protein facilitate the evasion of antibodies that the individual has produced in response to vaccination or previous infection with another version of the virus. The full vaccine cycle may provide more protection than partial vaccination, but all vaccines tested showed decreased efficacy against the Delta variant compared to other virus variants.
According to a study published in the journal Nature, the antibodies of recovered individuals were four times less potent against Delta than Alpha; they received only one dose of the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines and produced almost no neutralizing antibody against the Delta variant.
In comparison, individuals fully vaccinated with both doses of the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines generated 95 percent neutralizing antibody responses, replicating the results of an earlier study. Moderna and Johnson & Johnson also found similar findings.
In short, your vaccine can probably protect you, but it won’t protect your child if you don’t get vaccinated.
The Delta variant is more likely than other forms of the virus to cause invasive infections in people who have been vaccinated, and vaccinated people who have been infected with this variant are more likely to pass it on to others.
Care we have to follow
According to Dr Maria Van Kerkhove of WHO, the environment is important. Good ventilation, away from crowding, and also broader geographic factors such as; vaccination in your region and new cases of contamination. It is important to continue wearing a mask covering the mouth and nose to protect vulnerable family members and others.
We are at Delta, the course of the pandemic will depend on human behavior, the important thing is to avoid the appearance of new variants.
Sources: MIT Medical WHO
Related article: Reducing the risk of virus infection including COVID
Leave a Reply