I've Been Vaccinated. Do I Need To Worry About Variants? 'Your Vaccine Is Quite Valuable' NPR

- 'Coronavirus FAQ: I've Been Vaccinated. Do I Need To Worry About Variants?,'
NPR, June 25, 2021. "Goats & Sodas," Stories of Life In A Changing World. - Ed.
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I've been vaccinated. Do I need to worry about variants? That depends on a few things- including your personal risk tolerance. But first off, know that your vaccine is quite valuable. The COVID-19 vaccines are expected to be protective against the new virus variants, according to the World Health Organization. Exactly how much the various vaccines protect against the delta variant- the newest form of the virus that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has dubbed a "variant of concern"- is still somewhat of a guessing game.

But if you're fully vaccinated (2 weeks after your 2nd dose) the odds are highly favorable that you won't get a breakthrough COVID-19 infection, & even better that if you are one of the unfortunate few, you won't get a severe case. "At least for those vaccines approved in Europe & North America, in the case of the variants, these seem to be effective in preventing severe disease, hospitalization & death," says Dr. Jerome Kim, director general of the International Vaccine Institute.

The alpha variant, first identified in the U.K., is around 50% more transmissible than the original form of the virus. The Pfizer vaccine was found to be 90% effective against the most severe forms of infection (i.e., those resulting in hospitalization or death) caused by this variant. That study also showed high protection against the beta variant, first spotted in South Africa. A study from Public Health England, an agency of the Dept. of Health & Social Care in the U.K., found that AstraZeneca also showed a high level of effectiveness against alpha, with an 86% reduction of hospitalizations. The study has not yet been published.

The delta variant is expected to overtake the alpha variant as the main form of the virus in the U.S. More than 20% of new cases in the U.S. are already due to the delta variant. Since the delta variant is even more transmissible- about 60% higher than alpha- that's what people in the U.S. will be at highest risk of soon. It's part of the reason the CDC upgraded delta from a variant of interest to a variant of concern. Experts are also concerned because therapies such as monoclonal antibodies & convalescent serum don't seem to work as well against this variant, says Dr. Jill Weatherhead at Baylor College of Medicine...

Read More,
https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2021/06/25/1007843591/coronavirus-faq-ive-been-vaccinated-do-i-need-to-worry-about-variants
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- *Also: 'WHO urges fully vaccinated people to continue to wear masks as delta Covid variant spreads,' June 25, 2021, https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2021/06/25/delta-who-urges-fully-vaccinated-people-to-continue-to-wear-masks-as-variant-spreads.html

KEY POINTS: The WHO urged fully vaccinated people to continue to wear masks and practice other Covid-19 pandemic safety measures as the highly contagious delta variant spreads rapidly across the globe. "People cannot feel safe just because they had the 2 doses. They still need to protect themselves," WHO official Dr. Mariangela Simao told reporters.

The World Health Organization on Friday urged fully vaccinated people to continue to wear masks, social distance and practice other Covid-19 pandemic safety measures as the highly contagious delta variant spreads rapidly across the globe...