Delta variant could affect those who have not yet been vaccinated and generate a spike in cases in the United States, said Anthony Fauci

In the United States, they have already been vaccinated against COVID-19 more than 179.9 million people, who have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. About 66% of adults have received at least one vaccine. President Joe Biden has set a May 4 goal of reaching 70% of adults by July 4. But the benefits of the vaccination plan in this country may be limited. According to Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and leader of the response to the pandemic, unvaccinated people are at greater risk of the appearance of the Delta variant of the coronavirus. Thus, the country could be divided into two populations: those vaccinated and those who hesitate to be vaccinated.

Today, more than a quarter of COVID-19 cases diagnosed in the United States have the Delta variant. This variant was detected in India last December and has spread worldwide to more than 80 countries. In England, it sparked a rebound in business and forced Boris Johnson’s government to delay the easing of restrictive measures for at least a month.

According to Dr Anthony Fauci, soon there could be “two United States” at a time: “one where the majority of people are vaccinated and another where low vaccination rates could cause spikes in cases”. “When you have such a low level of vaccination superimposed on a variant that has a high degree of spreading efficiency, what you will see between under-vaccinated regions, whether they are states, cities or towns. counties, you are going to see these individual types of tips. It’s almost like there are two United States, ”Fauci said in dialogue with the TV station. CNN.

In areas with low vaccination rates in the country, there is a risk of seeing spikes in COVID-19 cases. “It’s totally preventable, totally preventable. If you get the vaccine, you greatly reduce your risk of getting infected. and even more drastically the risk of falling seriously ill. If you are not vaccinated you are at considerable risk, ”Fauci warned.

The Delta variant has already reached almost every state in the United States and now accounts for 26.1% of COVID-19 cases, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Although the vaccination plan has advanced in the country, there are states that are more behind schedule. Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Wyoming, and Louisiana have less than 35% of residents fully immunized.

In Mississippi, where only 29.7% of the population is fully vaccinated, more than 90% of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the past month have been in unvaccinated people, according to the Department of Public Health of the United States. Mississippi.

46% of the population (154.2 million people) in the United States have been fully immunized with the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine or the two-dose schedule of messenger RNA vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Modern. Two weeks after the second dose, the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine is 88% effective against symptomatic infections caused by the delta variant, Fauci said. Those who received only one dose have less protection. Moderna’s vaccine has also been shown in lab experiments to work against newer variants, including the Delta variant.

Serum samples from people who received two doses of Moderna’s vaccine showed neutralizing activity against the variants, Moderna said in a preprinted study that has not yet been peer reviewed. Regarding the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, Fauci said it was “very likely” that it could protect against the Delta variant, although this has not yet been proven by research.

The prestigious expert pointed out that two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19 – which is based on the same platform as the Johnson & Johnson vaccine – are approximately 88% effective against the Delta variant. You can reasonably assume that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be just as effective in protecting against Delta.

As, The Gamaleya Institute, based in Moscow and developer of the Sputnik V vaccine, explained that the effectiveness of its vaccine against the Delta variant is around 90%. The Institute added that the effectiveness of the serum decreased by 2.6 compared to the variant. They previously reported that the effectiveness against COVID-19 was 92.6%.

During, a survey carried out by the firm Axios-Ipsos showed this week that 84% of Americans have heard of the Delta variant, but the number of people practicing safety measures, such as social distancing and wearing masks, continues to decline. One in 10 said they were very familiar with the Delta variant, 38% said it was quite familiar and 36% said they had heard of it but knew next to nothing, according to the survey, which reported was conducted from June 25 to 28. and composed of a nationally representative sample of 1,106 adults.

UK, Where the pandemic appeared to be receding in February, COVID-19 infections have again increased associated with the presence of the Delta variant. Today, it is detected in more than 90% of cases, and a survey by the Public Health Agency of this country has revealed who is most affected by the Delta variant: young adults who have not yet been vaccinated. Data which shows that today access to vaccination against COVID-19 with two doses is essential to protect the population.

Infections have been on the rise since April in the UK. According to Nadhim Zahawi, the minister in charge of immunization, he stressed that although cases are increasing, hospital admissions for severe cases have not increased. Among people who have received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and infected with the Delta variant, less than one in 10 has been hospitalized.

“Most young adults only get one dose of the vaccine, if any. They are the ones who mark the increase in cases. The good news: Hospitalizations don’t seem too high at the moment, ”Dr. Oscar Cingolani, associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University in the United States, commented on Twitter of the situation in the United Kingdom. . “Having (completely) vaccinated the personnel at risk and the majority of the elderly, we observe that the cases affect the younger population, with a more transmissible variant,” he added.

KEEP READING: