Vaccination and the Variant 

From The National Institute for Health Care Management (NIHCM)

The COVID-19 news in the United States continues to improve. The New York Times reported on a new study showing that the Pfizer and Moderna shots likely confer lasting immunity, protecting people from the virus for years, rather than months and alleviating the need for booster shots. The new research suggests the immunity should hold as long as the variants do not evolve too much. Here is the latest on the Delta variant and vaccine uptake. 

  • Vaccine Effectiveness: The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are approximately 90% effective against Delta variant-induced infections and the development of severe COVID-19. The vaccines are holding the line against other current variants as well. 
  • Delta Increasing: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warn that the Delta variant will soon be the dominant strain of COVID-19 in the U.S. Fortune reports that early data from an Israeli study shows the Delta variant can infect fully vaccinated adults. 
  • Variants Mostly Target Unvaccinated: In a recent CNN report, NIHCM Advisory Board member Scott Gottlieb, MD, says Delta variant induced COVID-19 cases will likely “produce dense outbreaks” in five states, primarily among the unvaccinated.
  • Lagging Vaccination Rate: A Washington Post report shows COVID-19 cases dropping where vaccine rates are high and rising where vaccine rates are low. Young people, ages 18 to 39, are the least likely to get vaccinated, followed by residents of rural areas. Both trends are limiting progress toward the Biden Administration’s national vaccination goal.