The coronavirus is, unfortunately for us, good at doing what viruses do best: mutating in order to become more efficient and infect more people. The newest mutation to cause concern is the Delta variant, the strain first documented in India, which has since caused devastation in the country.
At the end of May, the World Health Organization renamed coronavirus variants of concern with letters of the Greek alphabet. The so-called Delta variant has now been identified in the US and accounts for more than 6% of COVID cases, Anthony Fauci, the president's chief medical advisor said on June 8. On Sunday, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CBS that Delta is currently responsible for about 10% of infections and is "doubling every two weeks."
The US is fortunate to have such great vaccine availability, and the country is less than 6% short (at the time of this writing) of the nation's goal of getting 70% of the adult population at least one dose of a COVID vaccine by July 4. But even with an increasing number of people vaccinated against COVID-19, the Delta variant's appearance in the US is concerning.
The strain is about 60% more transmissible than the Alpha variant (a strain first documented in the UK), British epidemiologist Neil Ferguson told reporters, and it's suspected to carry the potential for more severe disease. In a Scottish study published on June 14, researchers found that, compared to the Alpha variant, Delta doubled the risk of hospitalization.
Experts in the US currently worry that the Delta variant will follow the course it took in the UK -- start off small, but eventually become the dominant strain in the US.
The three vaccines available in the US have all proved to have excellent efficacy against severe disease caused by COVID-19. But how do they fare against the more contagious variant? Some research is promising, and scientists still urge vaccination as the way out of this deadly pandemic.
Claims about Delta's new side effects
News of COVID-19 causing a black fungus in the sinuses and brain and hearing loss, among other symptoms, in COVID-19 patients from India may be alarming and lead you to believe Delta causes new and scarier side effects than older strains of the coronavirus. The reality is COVID-19 from all strains and forms is a scary disease, with a myriad of side effects that can last months after infection in some people. As Business Insider reported, there isn't enough data at this time to support that the Delta variant causes atypical COVID-19 symptoms. Additionally, Delta may be hard to link to specific symptoms because it is one of three similar strains, Insider reported.
The WHO labels "variants of concern" and "variants of interest" using letters of the Greek alphabet. Variants of concern -- Delta included -- means they have been associated with either an increase of transmissibility, increase in virulence or change in clinical presentation, and/or decrease in effectiveness of public health measures, according to the WHO.
Eugene Mymrin/Getty ImagesHow the vaccines compete against Delta
Research from late May by the UK's Public Health England found that two doses of Pfizer's or AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine are effective against the Delta variant -- about 88% (Pfizer) and 60% (AstraZeneca). Although this study shows that two doses are about 5 and 6% less effective, respectively, with the Delta variant than the Alpha strain, the study also found that both vaccines had about 33.5% effectiveness against Delta after one dose of either AstraZeneca or Pfizer -- considerably less protection than two doses of either vaccine.
This study may also suggest some promise for another vaccine being used in the US -- Moderna. Although it wasn't used in this study because the vaccine hasn't been widely used in the UK, Moderna and Pfizer are both mRNA vaccines and have similar reported efficacy rates.
The Scottish study published June 14 also confirms Pfizer and AstraZeneca's effectiveness against infection from the Delta variant. Researchers from this study say AstraZeneca was 60% effective two weeks after the second dose, while Pfizer was 79% effective two weeks after the second dose.
As far as Johnson & Johnson (the US's single-dose vaccine) is concerned, recent research shines light on an underreported element of immunity against COVID-19, and one that would be helpful against the Delta variant: T-cell response. As NPR reported, T-cell responses don't stop an infection, but they stop it from spreading -- this matters when talking about a vaccine's main purpose and effectiveness against severe disease. According to a study published in the Nature journal, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine had less antibody response when faced with coronavirus variants (not Delta), but T-cell responses were "largely preserved."
Moving forward
The expert advice does not seem to change as the coronavirus does -- getting vaccinated and gaining immunity against COVID-19 is the surest way to prevent severe disease caused by any variant. With fewer people getting infected with COVID-19, the coronavirus has less room and fewer hosts within which it can mutate.
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.
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