[ad_1]
CLEVELAND, Ohio — The most contagious delta variant of the coronavirus has been linked to a small number of infections in Ohio, the medical director of Ohio said Thursday, but data showed that COVID-19 vaccines are still effective against it.
The delta variant, also known as B.1.617.2, has been classified by the World Health Organization as a “variable of concern” after it caused an increase in the number of coronavirus infections in India. The variant is now found in more than 60 countries, and accounts for nearly 6% of new infections in the United States, according to health officials during a White House news briefing earlier this week.
The Ohio variant currently accounts for less than 1% of cases, said Dr. Bruce Vanderhof, medical director of the Ohio Department of Health. But this percentage could increase because the delta variant has spread rapidly to other countries, including India and the United Kingdom
“So far here in Ohio, we’re really only seeing a fraction of a percentage in terms of our overall mix,” Vanderhoof said during a Thursday morning news briefing. “But I would expect that to go up completely.”
Experts have determined that the variant is more contagious than the original strain of coronavirus and the alpha variant, also known as B.1.1.7, which was first discovered in the UK Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, during a White House news briefing, said she They may also cause more severe illness and increase a person’s risk of hospitalization.
The good news is that the data has shown that COVID-19 vaccines are still effective against the delta variant, said Dr. David Margolius, director of the division of internal medicine at MetroHealth.
“I think for people who have been on the fence about whether or not they’re going to get a vaccine, if they’ve been waiting for a more serious COVID to come out for the added incentive, that’s it,” Margolius said. “But as long as you go ahead and get vaccinated, you and your loved ones will be safe.”
A British study found that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was 88% effective in preventing symptomatic infection of the delta variant. Fauci told the Washington Post that Moderna’s vaccine should be similarly effective because it uses the same messenger RNA technology used in Pfizer’s vaccine.
Health officials have released no information about how well the Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccine will protect against symptomatic delta-variable infection.
However, there is a caveat to the vaccine data. The UK study found that a single dose of Pfizer’s vaccine was significantly less effective against the delta variant – only 33% effective in preventing occasional infections.
Vanderhof said the data underscores why it’s important for Ohioans to get fully vaccinated.
“The whole point is vaccination. This is the way out of the epidemic,” Vanderhof said. “It is our best protection, including protection from the Delta variant.”
However, experts cautioned that there is still a high chance of this variant spreading among unvaccinated Ohioans. As of Thursday, only 41.5% of the state’s population had been fully vaccinated while 46.4% had received at least one dose, according to data from the Ohio Department of Health.
This should be cause for some concern, because the delta variant has been shown to spread quickly, said Dr. Thomas Weil, chief of infectious diseases at Summa Health.
We need to vaccinate more people. My concern is that we’re not doing it fast enough right now,” File said. “I don’t think we’ve really gotten to the point where we can say we’re protected from transmitting this virus, especially among those who haven’t been vaccinated.”
Governor Mike DeWine said during a Thursday press conference that Ohio is entering a “new phase of the pandemic” after reaching its goal of limiting infections to less than 50 per 100,000 residents over the weekend. That number improved to 39.1 infections per 100,000 residents as of Wednesday, DeWine said.
DeWine said vaccines have been key to improving Ohio. He warned that anyone who has not been vaccinated is still at risk of infection, and possibly severe illness.
“For someone who hasn’t been vaccinated, that threat is definitely still there,” DeWine said. Obviously, we urge people to get vaccinated. The more vaccinated we are, the better off we are.”
[ad_2]
Picture Credit!