How Worried Should We Be About the Delta Option?
The virus that causes COVID-19 has been evolutionarily successful in bringing out the world and expanding its small family tree. (He was successful from his point of view; not so much from ours.) This means that variants of the virus have appeared in several different places, and some of them are “variants of concern” that are more transmitted or potentially more dangerous. … Let’s take a quick rundown of the ones you should be aware of.
When we last wrote about variants, they had hard-to-remember code names, and scientists often talked about the codes of the mutations they contained, which led to a lot of confusion as we tried to clarify which is which. As a result, people often used geographic nicknames (for example, “South African variant”), which is problematic on many levels – not least because viruses are carried, so any geographic name will quickly become obsolete.
COVID options of concern
Variants have now been renamed after the Greek letters to make them easier to discuss and track. The first four are considered “options of concern,” which means they may be more transmissible, more virulent, or better at evading public health measures than other versions of the virus. These four are:
Alpha
Variant Alpha, B.1.1.7, was first discovered in the UK in September 2020. It was one of the first variants to make headlines and is estimated to be 50% more prevalent than previous versions of the virus. It is currently the dominant cultivar in the United States . Fortunately, people who have been vaccinated with Pfizer or Moderna or who have previously had a different COVID strain seem to be able to cope with it normally . Tests with other vaccines have yet to be published, but the data we have is encouraging. For example, a study on the Pfizer vaccine found it was 90% effective against this variant.
Beta
The beta variant, B.1.351, was first discovered in South Africa in May 2020. It has been linked to higher hospital admissions and death rates than the original COVID. The Pfizer beta vaccine is only 75% effective, but it rises to 97.4% when you look at severe or fatal cases , so the vaccine is still very useful.
Gamma
The Gamma variant, P.1, was first discovered in Brazil in November 2020. Gamma is more transmitted than the original COVID, but less so than Alpha. Previous COVID infection may provide less protection from gamma radiation than other strains . Fortunately, it doesn’t spread as quickly as other options. Research in areas with alpha and gamma has shown that alpha tends to become more prevalent over time, while gamma does not.
Delta
The Delta variant, B.1.617.2, was first discovered in India in October 2020. It was considered an option of interest in April this year – more on this category below – and was upgraded to a worrying level in May. … This is the option currently considered the most dangerous.
Delta is more transmissible than other variants (even compared to Alpha) and is more likely to cause severe illness. The Pfizer vaccine appears to be slightly less effective against Delta than the Alpha, but it still has strong protection after you have received both doses .
Interest options
The interesting options are not as important as the ones of concern – for now. They have mutations that are “identified or suspected” to cause the virus to behave differently and to be recognized, they must also spread in the community or otherwise be considered of interest to scientists (thus an isolated virus in laboratories or in a few isolated cases may not meet the requirements). These include:
- Epsilon variants, B.1.427 and B.1.429, were first seen in the US in March 2020.
- The Zeta variant, P.2, was first seen in Brazil in April 2020.
- The Eta variant, B.1.525, first appeared in many countries in December 2020.
- The Theta variant, P.3, was first seen in the Philippines in January 2021.
- The Iota variant, B.1.526, was first seen in the US in November 2020.
- The Kappa variant, B.1.617.1, was first seen in India in October 2020.
- The Lambda variant, B.1.617.1, was first seen in Peru in August 2020.
How much should I worry?
So far, none of the options are very different from the original COVID; our vaccines and public health measures seem to work against these options, even if some may be slightly less effective. This doesn’t change the rules of the game, just a reason to be a little more careful. Scientists are paying close attention to how these options are spread and how well we are protected from them.
For now, it’s still best to get vaccinated if you can, wear masks, and follow other public health measures if you’re not vaccinated. You can also continue to wear masks if you are vaccinated if you feel extra cautious, but the risk of contracting the other option is still probably very low.
According to the CDC, in addition to options of interest and options of concern, there is another category: “options with severe consequences”. This would be used for any options that could avoid diagnostic tests, significantly reduce the effectiveness of a vaccine, or lead to much more serious illnesses. So far, none of the COVID options meet the requirements.