US coronavirus: Experts say spread of delta variant may make it difficult to reach herd immunity

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“We don’t know exactly what the proportion of herd immunity to Covid-19 is,” Dr. Rachel Levine told CNN anchor Anna Cabrera on Friday. “It will be different for the delta variant, and higher, because it is more transmissible.”

“But we know … that vaccinated people are delta-protected. They are less likely to get sick and virtually impossible to need hospitalization,” said Levine, the assistant secretary of state for the United States. Department of Health and Human Services.

Estimates vary about how many people would need immunity to reach this goal. Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said herd immunity can be reached if 70-85% of people have immunity.

The variant represents a larger percentage of cases in some states

The delta variant, first seen in India, can easily infect people and cause more serious diseases.

In California, where about half of the state’s 40 million residents are vaccinated, Covid-19 cases are on the rise, with the delta variant accounting for 36% of all new cases, according to officials.

“The most important thing we can do to stop the spread of COVID-19 and its various variants, is to ensure that everyone who is eligible gets the vaccine,” said Dr. Thomas Aragon, California Public Health Officer.

On Monday, Los Angeles County recommended that people wear masks in indoor public spaces even if they have been vaccinated, and on Friday, the city and county of St. Louis, Missouri, did the same. Both jurisdictions made recommendations due to the prevalence of the variant.

“As we monitor the delta variant, we see that it is spreading rapidly, and the data shows that it is more contagious and affects smaller segments of the population,” said Dr. Frederic Echols, acting director of the St. Louis City Department of Health. Health, in a press release.

CNN analyst Dr. Lena Winn told CNN Friday that states with the lowest vaccination rates are seeing a higher proportion of the delta variant in new cases.

“In the five states with the highest Covid-19 prevalence, the delta variant accounts for more than 50% of the cases there. Arkansas 50%. Utah 60%. Missouri 70%.” gallon. “I think we should also keep in mind the statistics of who gets sick. In general, the unvaccinated people.”

Where does the United States stand on vaccinations?

As of Friday, 47.1% of the total US population has been fully vaccinated, and 54.7% have received a single injection, according to federal data. Over the past week, an average of 662,906 people were fully vaccinated each day.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 18 states have fully vaccinated more than half of their residents. They are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington, as well as Washington, DC.

Experts agree that the best protection against the delta variant is vaccination.

Two weeks after the second dose, the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is 88% effective against occasional infections caused by the delta variant, Fauci said. Those who received only one dose had less protection.

Moderna’s vaccine has been found in lab trials to work against new variants including the Delta strain, the company said this week. Moderna said in a preprint study that has not yet been peer-reviewed that serum samples from people who received two shots of Moderna’s vaccine showed neutral activity against the variants.

Johnson & Johnson said the one-shot coronavirus vaccine provides immunity that lasts at least eight months, and appears to provide protection against the delta variant.

Travel advice from the World Health Organization

Fauci provided a flash of good news ahead of the Fourth of July holiday: Americans can celebrate with proper precautions, he said.

“This means that if you are vaccinated, you have a high degree of protection,” he said. “If you haven’t, you should wear a mask, and you should seriously consider getting vaccinated.”

However, US Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy said he is very concerned about unvaccinated people heading into the weekend.

“If you’re not vaccinated and if you’re going to travel and see others from different homes, congregate indoors and if you’re not masked, there’s a high risk of the virus continuing to spread,” he told CNN. on Friday.

Meanwhile, new WHO Interim International Travel Guidelines released on Friday take into account the vaccination status as well as variables of concern and variables of importance.

The organization recommends that a “risk-based approach” should be taken when implementing Covid-19 measures.

“This approach must take into account the risks posed by travel to import and export cases in the context of evolving epidemiology, including the emergence and circulation of virus variants of concern; the expansion of the spread of the COVID-19 vaccine; and the lessons learned during the response,” the WHO said in a statement. epidemic, including early case detection and management, and application of public and social health measures.

The World Health Organization has also indicated that proof of vaccination should not be required as a condition of entering or leaving a country, and that national authorities can consider individual approaches when carrying out testing or quarantine as a condition of entry if people have immunity from vaccination or previously confirmed infection.

Sherry Mossberg, Karma Hassan, Deidre McPhillips, Maggie Fox and Naomi Thomas contributed to this report.

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