Maron Meyer
Northwest Asia Weekly
According to the Seattle and King County Public Health Departments, the COVID-19 Delta variant is likely to be the majority of cases in King County, posing a major threat to unvaccinated people and triggering a mask policy for even vaccinated people question.
Gabriel said that the number of cases has been steadily increasing in the past few months. In the two weeks ending on June 20th, considering the three-week lag in county data, Delta variants are produced. Now it is very likely that Delta represents the majority of Spitzer cases. Communications expert in the department.
The Delta variant is more infectious than other strains because it has a powerful protein in its spikes that can easily attach to cells.
PhD. Jim Boonyaratanakornkit (Image source: Fred Hutchinson)
“Think of it as an airplane landing in your cell. Your cell is the runway. All other variants also have landing gear. But the Delta landing gear is really sticky,” a study by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center specializing in infectious diseases Assistant Jim Boonyaratanakornkit said.
Therefore, Boonyaratanakornkit said: “If you are not vaccinated and are close to an infected person, you are more likely to get sick compared to other variants.”
New threat
The invasion of Delta variants in our region also affected the number of people vaccinated. Although experts agree that vaccines are very effective, people must be fully vaccinated to protect themselves from new strains.
“One shot of Pfizer or Moderna is not enough. The second shot is very important,” Boonyaratanakornkit said.
According to a July 5 tweet by Seattle and King County public health officer Jeffrey Duchin, people who are fully vaccinated have a small risk of contracting a mild infection. An Israeli study showed that Pfizer vaccine has excellent protection against serious infections. But he said it may reduce the effectiveness of the overall infection.
Du Qin has repeatedly called for everyone to be vaccinated. He said: “We may have to reconsider our masking guidelines.”
The actual number of people affected by the disaster seems to be very small, but a series of complications and unknowns have emerged in Delta.
During the two weeks reported by the health department, there were 75 cases of Delta. Among them, 1 case was hospitalized, and there were no deaths (there are also other mutation-related cases).
However, before the advent of Delta, if a person has recovered from COVID, there will usually be enough antibodies, so the patient is considered relatively safe from future infections. However, according to Boonyaratanakornkit, current research suggests that antibodies generated from previous forms of coronavirus may be less effective on Delta.
In other words, if you get sick and recover from the coronavirus, you may not be fully immune to the Delta variant.
Dr. Grace Lee (Image source: Stanford University)
Researchers still don’t have enough data on “long-term” COVID-a term that applies to a series of persistent post-viral symptoms-to make clear conclusions about its lingering effects. But Grace Lee, a professor of pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine, said that because Delta is more contagious and may slightly infect vaccinated people, it may cause more long-distance COVID cases. Lee is a member of the COVID-19 Vaccine Working Group and the chair of the COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Technical Group.
Nevertheless, the vaccine is still very effective against this variant.
“It turns out that they are more powerful and efficient than I thought. I thought at first that they might only prevent about 40% to 50% of cases. But as far as mRNA vaccines are concerned, they are preventing serious infections, deaths, and In most cases, the efficiency for even mild infections is as high as 90%,” Lee said.
There are a few notable exceptions.
Boonyaratanakornkit said that people with immunodeficiency need to be especially careful.
Cancer patients sometimes suppress the immune system. For example, treatments such as chemotherapy can knock down the immune system. Some cancers, such as lymphoma, can also damage the immune system. Sometimes it’s both.
“Because the immune system is suppressed, about half of blood cancer patients may not respond to vaccination,” Boonyaratanakornkit said.
The immune system of a person receiving a bone marrow transplant will also be weakened. It takes several months for stem cells introduced into the body to learn to become immune cells.
Those who have received organ transplants such as the kidney, heart, or lung are vulnerable. Those with common diseases are also vulnerable, including rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, intestinal disease, and lupus. Some medications may also lower the immune system. Boonyaratanakornkit said, so be sure to consult your doctor.
Many transplant patients need caregivers. Boonyaratanakornkit said that because Delta spreads more easily than other variants, “it magnifies everyone’s risk”.
future
Another concern is the reopening of schools. Lee said that due to the increased infectivity of Delta, we may see a surge in the number of people in the fall. But we still don’t know whether it will cause more serious diseases.
“Therefore, protecting children must continue to be an important part of prevention strategies,” she said.
However, with the emergence of the Delta variant, advances in vaccine distribution have also given researchers room for optimism.
Lee said that at the beginning of the pandemic, researchers believed that mRNA vaccines only need to be stored at ultra-low temperatures, and that they can survive for a very limited time outside this range. Now, researchers have found that the vaccine can survive up to a month under normal cold storage conditions. This means that vaccines can reach places where they could not deal with all early restrictions in the past.
In addition, Lee added that mRNA technology can be quickly adapted to match new variants. However, she said we should relax our guard.
“If everything returns to normal, it will be a mistake. We must remain vigilant. Everyone wants to move on and end the pandemic. But COVID-19 will continue to exist. We want to make sure that we continue to adapt dynamically and stay tuned to it. Attention, this requires continuous financial support. We need to ensure that we have the resources to cooperate with others to provide vaccines,” Li said.
She said that in order to protect our communities, we also need to take new approaches to data.
For example, the vaccination rate for Asian Americans seems to be higher. But she said that disaggregating the data is important because some communities may have problems and challenges in obtaining vaccines.
As for vaccine hesitation, Lee said that the key is to involve community leaders so that people can get the information they need to protect themselves, not only from Delta, but also from “anything in the future”, such as another change. body.
“I believe everyone should be vaccinated, but you need to meet where they are and work with the community to make sure you can protect them as much as possible,” Li said.
“All you can do is communicate what you know and what you don’t know, and be transparent.”
According to the county health department, intensified injections may be recommended at certain times. But the current data does not support this demand.
“Some people with weakened immune systems may need a third start-up dose (not a real booster). This is under active discussion, but there are no recommendations yet,” Du Qin said in a July 5 tweet.
Finally, another way to protect yourself is to evaluate your travel plans.
“If you are going to visit your family, for example in Asia or anywhere else, please do your homework,” Boonyaratanakornkit said. “Check the vaccination rate. Know the distribution of Delta. Ask yourself: Is it really necessary to go?”
Can reach Malone info@nwasianweekly.com.
