The war against COVID-19 has changed because of the highly contagious Delta variant, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control said, proposing a clearer message, mandatory vaccines for health workers and a return to universal masking.
An internal CDC document said the variant, first detected in India and now dominant across the globe, is as contagious as chickenpox and far more contagious than the common cold or flu. It can be passed on even by vaccinated people, and may cause more serious disease than earlier coronavirus strains.
The document, entitled “Improving communications around vaccine breakthrough and vaccine effectiveness”, said the variant required a new approach to help the public understand the danger – including making clear that unvaccinated people were more than 10 times more likely than those who are vaccinated to become seriously ill or die.
The delta variant is more transmissible than the viruses that cause MERS, SARS, Ebola, the common cold, the seasonal flu and smallpox, the report said.
“Acknowledge the war has changed,” it said. “Improve communications around individual risk among vaccinated.”
The emerging threat has made it more important than ever to ensure that everyone who is eligible gets the Covid-19 vaccine and provoked the CDC to ask even vaccinated people in high risk areas to go back to wearing masks at indoor places where they may come in contact with others.
More than 4 million people around the world have died from the disease, including almost 640,000 Americans.
Doctors fear another mutation could prove more deadly and more contagious because millions of people refuse to be inoculated against the virus, and those unprotected bodies act like chemistry sets inviting all sorts of changes to occur.
Oddly enough, despite a rash of incompetent and counterproductive actions that comprised a botched response to the novel coronavirus during the previous administration, rapid pursuit of a vaccine was one of the only things done right by former President Donald Trump but his political supporters are among the most reluctant to get vaccinated.
Although he has had the disease and gotten vaccinated, Trump himself displays the same indifference to the health and welfare of his political supporters that the narcissist exhibited toward all other people throughout his life.
White House spokesperson Kate Bedingfield in July praised Trump for his early and consistent endorsements of coronavirus vaccine, a rare instance of the Biden administration commending its predecessor.
The Washington Post has reported a significant shift among Republicans who touted the vaccines during the Trump administration, and as infections and deaths have grown among the unvaccinated and dropped among the vaccinated, are employing conjecture and misinformation to question their efficacy and the Biden administration’s efforts to vaccinate more Americans.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is making strong recommendations to protect yourself and others by getting vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccines.
“There are several safe and effective vaccines that prevent people from getting seriously ill or dying from COVID-19,” said WHO. “This is one part of managing COVID-19, in addition to the main preventive measures of staying at least 1 metre (six feet) away from others, covering a cough or sneeze in your elbow, frequently cleaning your hands, wearing a mask and avoiding poorly ventilated rooms or opening a window.”
“If COVID-19 is spreading in your community, stay safe by taking some simple precautions, such as physical distancing, wearing a mask, keeping rooms well ventilated, avoiding crowds, cleaning your hands, and coughing into a bent elbow or tissue. Check local advice where you live and work. Do it all!,” said the organization, which was formed by the United Nations in 1948.
More than 99.999% of people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 have not had a breakthrough case resulting in hospitalization or death, according to CDC data.
The data highlights what leading health experts across the country have highlighted for months: COVID-19 vaccines are very effective at preventing serious illness and death from COVID-19 and are the country’s best shot at slowing the pandemic down and avoiding further suffering.