Validation: Infectious disease experts address concerns about COVID-19 vaccine, delta mutants

Houston — COVID-19 (New Coronavirus Infection) Delta variants have a lot of stakes as the number of cases continues to grow. NS Verification The team communicates viewers’ questions and concerns to experts. Dr. Ameshua Darha, an infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins, addresses the following claim:

Claim: The delta variant started in India.

NS. “The delta variant is one of the variants in India and was the first to be detected in India and was the cause of the surge in hospital crisis,” said Dr. Adalja.

Claim: The delta variant is more contagious than the standard COVID-19.

NS. “The delta variant has a cluster of mutations that appear to be the most appropriate version of the virus we have ever seen. From person to person than the original version of this virus or any other variant that has developed. Seems to be transmitted much more efficiently, “says Dr. Adalja.

Claim: Delta variants are more deadly.

NS. “”It is unknown at this time if this is the more deadly version of the virus. There are some case reports on this, but there is no clear report as to whether it has a different impact than other versions of the virus or if it has a serious impact on people. ” The doctor says.

Claim: Delta variants can get sick even if they are vaccinated.

NS. “In general, you are a fully vaccinated individual and have a breakthrough infection, whether it is a delta variant, another variant, or the original version of the virus. If, it usually means an infection that is not clinically important and probably asymptomatic, Dr. Adalja said, “If there are no symptoms at all, it is very mild. Someone got sick with the delta variant. It’s a very rare case, but it’s not standard. It’s very rare to see a breakthrough infection actually make someone who is completely vaccinated sick. “

Claim: Delta variants affect young people and appear to be more ill than the original COVID.

NS. “Delta mutants affect the infection of unvaccinated individuals. It happens that the pockets of unvaccinated individuals are much more prevalent in younger people,” Dr. Adalja said. Said. Man. Unvaccinated people are more likely to be young because the vaccine was not prioritized. Many of them don’t want a vaccine because they don’t think they need it. So it is really the product of the highest and lowest vaccination rates in the country. “

Claim: Symptoms are similar to those found in the original coronavirus strain and other variants such as cough, headache, sore throat, and fever.

NS. “Delta variants cause about the same set of symptoms. There are some case reports of less taste and smell disturbances, but that’s not yet definitive,” said Dr. Adalja. Therefore, if you have symptoms like a cold or flu, it is consistent with the delta variant. “

Claim: Unvaccinated people infected with COVID have accumulated strong resistance and are less likely to be infected with the delta type.

NS. “But that’s not the case. We know that innate immunity is not without anything, and that people who have been infected before have some protection against particularly serious illnesses. I know, “said Dr. Adalja. They occur, but are generally quite rare. It is more protected than those who have not been vaccinated or who have never been infected with COVID-19. However, immunity may not be very strong. That’s why I recommend it to people who have been vaccinated at least once, or at least I recommend it to boost immunity. “

Claim: Mutations in the virus reduce lethality.

unknown. “It depends on the situation. The virus is constantly mutating. Whether the virus becomes more or less lethal has to do with how easy it is to infect the virus. If the virus is not a problem, then There is no incentive or selective pressure to change lethality, so it is true, but over time the virus has become more tame, probably with vaccines, perhaps with cures, or tame. It is sometimes related to the fact that it is transmitted more efficiently, but not always with respiratory viruses. When people are not sick in their bed at home, they are more efficiently transmitted. So you would expect some of its pathogenicity to disappear. But this is not what you can say. It’s a general principle, but there are exceptions to it. It will take some time to understand Sars-Cov-2. “

Claim: The risk of delta variants is exaggerated.

NS. “In the United States, less than half of the population is fully vaccinated,” said Dr. Adalja. Unvaccinated population. The Delta variant is less threatening in areas of high vaccination, especially in areas of high vaccination of high-risk individuals such as the elderly. There are plenty of countries that have not vaccinated high-risk people and they will still be a threat. Another problem with the Delta variant is that it’s just a threat because we’re doing it ourselves, because we have a solution at hand. So, I’m listening to hospitals that are currently having problems, such as Missouri, so I don’t think this is an exaggeration. The solution is so simple that the threat needs to be announced. This should be a driving force for those who were hesitant to get the vaccine. “

Claim: The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is only about 60% effective against the Delta variant.

unknown. “There are conflicting studies on Johnson & Johnson vaccines, one from a company with fairly strong immunity and the other published on a preprint server with low immunity. When it comes to preventing severe illness, hospitalization, and death from Delta variants, J & J vaccines are piled up like Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. The definitive thing at this point is vaccines and Delta variants. We need more data about. We are confident that having a J & J vaccine will protect us from the serious consequences of infection, and that is all that is why we have vaccinated people. Not to prevent all cases, but to prevent serious illness, hospitalization, and death. “

Claim: I got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. You need to get Moderna now as it is more effective with the Delta variant.

NS. “We don’t yet have data on whether booster immunization with different types of vaccines is needed,” said Dr. Adalja. “Now we need to study more. The J & J vaccine can withstand important issues such as serious illness, hospitalization, and death. Those who have been vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are more likely to be infected with the Delta variant. There is no data to indicate that. That data is not yet available. Once that data is available, I think we can move on to a conversation about what we need to do. But now Johnson End Johnson Once I get the vaccine, I will sit firmly. “

Claim: Delta mutants are so contagious that many people eventually acquire herd immunity, even if they are not vaccinated.

unknown. “It depends on the passage of time or more than a decade,” said Dr. Adalja. “Yes, because it is a respiratory virus that spreads efficiently, probably everyone will be infected with the delta mutant. It is important that the acquisition of herd immunity is costly because there are enough unprotected high-risk individuals to die from COVID-19 because they are not protected. The cost of acquiring immunity, the natural way of COVID-19, is very high and too high tolerable, especially if there is a safe and effective vaccine that does not make this a problem. “

Claim: The expiration date of both double-dose vaccines is approaching. To protect yourself from the new COVID variants, you need to book to get a booster shot.

NS. “There is no indication that the general public needs booster shots to meet that threshold. It is a fully vaccinated individual with a breakthrough infection landing in a hospital. Frequency. Effective Deadline, that’s what we’re studying. You can extend shelf life. Remember that continuous new doses of these vaccines are being produced, so there’s no expiration date at all. I don’t care. “

Claim: No virus has been mutated to be more deadly than COVID-19.

unknown. “If you look at the mutations in the virus, it’s different. For example, influenza is mutated to be more resistant to Tamiflu in certain strains. HIV mutated to be resistant to certain antiretroviral drugs. It’s fatal because it’s harder to treat than strains. It makes them harder to treat. Therefore, it makes them more deadly. So I don’t think it’s a statement that applies. “