UNMC doctor shows difference between Delta variant of COVID-19 in vaccinated and unvaccinated people

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Doctors and the CDC report that the Delta variant of COVID-19 spreads as easily as chickenpox, but what exactly does it look like when passed from person to person?

Dr. James Lawler sees patients at Nebraska Medicine on a daily basis. He explained in layman’s terms, if someone is infected with the COVID-19 Delta variant, it attaches itself to cells in our respiratory system, lining our airways and lungs. Dr Lawler said the variant then “hijacks” the cell, causing it to quickly spread to others.

“What is happening is that it releases its RNA,” Dr. Lawler said in front of a large 3D animated screen. “The cell then uses its ribosome to transform this RNA into a viral protein.”

He went on to explain how these steps lead to infection: “The virus essentially hijacks the cell and turns it into a virus factory. It creates thousands and thousands of copies of viruses in the Golgi apparatus and turns into new virus particles and variants, then they come out of that cell and infect other cells. “

What if someone is fully vaccinated? Doctors said the Delta variant had access to the cell through enriched protein: “As long as this enriched protein is open, it’s basically the lock to fit into this key, and it can get in. “

After two doses of the vaccine, doctors said people develop higher levels of protection than unvaccinated people, reducing the chances of ending up in hospital and intensive care.

“When these antibodies bind, they prevent the enriched protein from being able to enter the cell.” Dr Lawler said: “So this lock and key mechanism is stuck. “

The UNMC demonstrations showed lungs from a patient’s CT scan. This person recovered from COVID-19 but ended up with severe permanent lung damage.

“This person will never have normal lung function again,” said Dr. Lawler.

That is why once again, doctors urged all eligible people to get the vaccine.

Doctors at UNMC expect the Delta variant to spread rapidly over the next three to four weeks.

“If we open schools without children with face masks and other interventions, these layers of Swiss cheese and how you block the spread of the virus in a community, we’re just going to throw gasoline on a fire at this point,” and we’re going to see much higher transmission rates.

Dr Lawler said the combination of hospitals with an unusual increase in the number of children with early influenza infections and RSV cases and starting school in less than two weeks, not requiring that everyone being masked is a concern and said we may soon see a strain on the children’s health system alone.

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