Those who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 will be exposed “to the most serious virus they contract in their life,” said a former commissioner of the US FDA.

73.7% of the world’s population has yet to receive a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. In most countries, access is limited by the purchase and distribution of vaccines. In the United States, reluctance and mistrust have delayed the rapid progress of vaccination. So far, only 68% of people over 18 have agreed to be vaccinated with a single dose, while 59.3% are fully immune. Given the emergence and advance of variants of the new coronavirus around the world, such as Delta, today global concern is focused on people who have not yet received any doses.

Doctor Scott Gottlieb, Former Commissioner of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and member of the board of directors of pharmaceutical companies, expressed his opinion: “And for the majority of people who contract this delta variant, it will be the most serious virus they will contract in their life in terms of their risk of having to admit them to the hospital.” Gottlieb He told the CBS television show “Face the Nation” on Sunday.

In this country, coverage is not yet at the level necessary to generate collective immunity through vaccination and stop the spread of the virus. “These are unvaccinated groups of people that are keeping us from permanently eliminating this virus,” said Dr Jonathan Reiner, A few days ago, professor of medicine at George Washington University in Washington DC, United States.

In Los Angeles County, the rate of new COVID-19 cases is up 300% since July 4. COVID-19-related hospitalizations more than doubled from the previous month, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Health.

According to the Johns Hopkinks University registry, 48 states are reporting an increase in the number of new cases of at least 10% greater than the previous week. These peaks across the country could worsen the epidemiological situation. “It’s worrying,” said Vivek Murthy, US director general of health, because with more cases of infections and more hospitalizations, deaths are likely to rise again.

People who have not yet been vaccinated are at greater risk: 99.5% of deaths from COVID-19 occur in people who have not been vaccinated, Murthy said. To slow spikes in cases, the United States is trying to get community leaders to talk and convince people of the benefits of COVID-19 vaccines, which have been shown to be very effective and safe, according to Springfield, Missouri Mayor Ken McClure said.

“So it all depends on community leaders, community institutions that people trust when they say to get vaccinated. It’s the only way we can get out of it, ”McClure said.

Too US President Joe Biden intervened in the controversy around the disinformation circulating in various media, when he accused the social network on Friday Facebook to allow the circulation of false vaccine information. “They are killing people” by not blocking disinformation, the president said. The platform denied this situation and instead assured that “the data shows that 85% of Facebook users in the United States have been vaccinated or wish to be vaccinated against COVID-19”, he said in a communicated on his corporate blog. , signed by Vice-President Guy Rosen.

Recently, a study conducted in China and disseminated online found that 62 cases of people affected by the Delta variant had viral loads approximately 1,260 times higher than those found in 63 cases from the epidemic wave in early 2020. This variant Of concern is sending younger and previously healthy people to hospitals, the vast majority of whom have not been vaccinated.

“This year’s virus is not last year’s virus,” the doctor said. Catherine O’Neal, infectious disease specialist del Centro Médico Regional Notre-Dame du Lac in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. “He attacks the 40-year-olds. It attacks our young parents and grandparents. And he takes hold of our children ”, O’Neal said. He said his COVID-19 unit now had more patients in their 20s than before during the pandemic.

The problem of reluctance to be vaccinated is linked to the misinformation that circulates. Misinformation “takes away our freedom,” said Dr Murthy, adding that inaccurate information inhibits the power of people to make informed decisions about their health and that of their families. “All this misinformation going around has a real cost that can be measured in lives lost, and it is tragic,” he said.

One of the main reasons adults should get vaccinated, experts say, is to protect children who are not yet eligible for the vaccine. Currently, COVID-19 vaccines are only permitted for ages 12 and older in the United States, but studies are underway to test the safety and effectiveness of immunizing young children.

Last saturday the doctor Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, clarified the approval schedule for COVID-19 vaccines for children under 12. Studies are conducted in age reduction groups, with children 12 to 9 years old, then 9 to 6, 6 to 2, then 2 years to 6 months. “So far things are looking good, but the final decision will be up to the FDA. And I imagine that probably won’t happen until we get into winter well, towards the end of this year, ”Fauci said.

To promote vaccination, various actions are carried out. In Alabama, which has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the United States, a vaccination post was set up in a church outside Birmingham on Sunday for three and a half hours. But only 11 people showed up. MedsPlus, the on-site health care provider, has set up vaccination booths in churches, malls and communities, hoping to partner with local leaders that people trust. But according to data from the Alabama Department of Public Health, the number of vaccines administered in the state fell sharply from the peak in March and April.

The Delta variant has already been detected in more than 111 countries. It is behind the increase in reported cases in all regions of the world and could become the dominant variant in the coming months, according to the latest weekly epidemiological update from the World Health Organization (WHO). “The delta variant is sweeping the world at an overwhelming rate,” he summed up Monday 12 Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director of the United Nations agency.

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