Explained: What a CDC Report Says About the Effectiveness of the Delta Variant Vaccine

This is the time when cases of Covid-19 due to Delta variant of the virus had started to surge in the country. In the United States, three vaccines are currently being administered, including Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and the single dose vaccine from Johnson and Johnson.

The report came just as US President Joe Biden announced new federal coronavirus vaccine requirements as the country struggles to contain the highly infectious Delta variant of Covid-19.

Biden’s tenure calls for mandatory vaccinations federal government employees and large private sector companies. The mandates are not well received by everyone, especially some members and supporters of the Republican Party, who see them as an attack on their freedom.

According to the latest CDC data, 53.6% of people in the United States are fully vaccinated and 62.9% have at least one dose of the vaccine.

What the CDC report says

Overall, the report states that the incidence of infection, hospitalization and death from SARS-CoV-2 is higher in unvaccinated people than in vaccinated people. It also indicates that the disease incidence rate ratios are related to the effectiveness of the vaccine.

In other words, the report postulates that while the efficacy of the vaccine against infection may have decreased due to the Delta variant, the vaccines are still significantly effective in protecting against serious illness and death from Covid- 19.

In the 13 jurisdictions assessed, between April 4 and July 19, more than 569,142 cases of Covid-19 were reported among unvaccinated people. These cases represented 92 percent of the total cases detected during the period. Significantly, 34,972 hospitalizations (92%) and 6,132 deaths associated with COVID-19 (91%) were also reported among unvaccinated people.

In contrast, cases among those fully vaccinated numbered 46,312, or eight percent of the total. 2,976 hospitalizations were reported among them and 616 deaths.

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Overall, during the period from April 4 to June 19, fully vaccinated people accounted for 5% of cases, 7% of hospitalizations and 8% of deaths. At that time, vaccination coverage was 37% in the surveyed areas. The report notes that assuming a vaccine effectiveness of 90 percent, those vaccinated should have contributed 6 percent of the total cases.

What other studies have said about the Delta variant and how well the vaccine works

A study published in the journal Nature this month indicates that the Delta variant has a much higher ability to infect and evade the immune response acquired from previous infections or vaccines. As of now, the Delta variant, or line B.1.617.2 of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, was first discovered in Maharashtra and fueled the second wave in the country.

It is now dominant not only in India but also in several other countries. According to the World Health Organization, the Delta variant is now present in at least 170 countries.

Another study conducted in the UK found that the Astra-Zeneca vaccine, which has been given to the majority of vaccinees in India, and the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine offer considerable protection against the Delta variant, although their effectiveness decreases with increasing frequency. the weather.