RNA Messenger (mRNA) vaccines prevent the symptomatic and severe disease of the Covit-19 variant, Delta, but what does it mean if ... people infected with Delta, vaccinated and not, carry equal amounts of the virus?
In December 2019, Covid-19 was contagious, but not as infectious as it could be. The virus infected two people and they infected two others. We all know the sequel.
That said, we should not blame the spread of Delta infections entirely on the unvaccinated, when it may be the "fault" of the vaccinated. The problem with Covid spread patterns is that the virus has changed over the 18 months of the experiment and what the researchers have learned about it. So far, scientists have discovered a lot about the virus, but Delta is very different from previous variants and thus, has created new ambiguities.
However, some (not all) researchers think vaccinated are as guilty as the unvaccinated of spreading the virus.
A study in Israel showed that infectivity was significantly reduced in vaccinated people. This is not the only study that draws this conclusion, but most of these studies were ahead of the Delta variant. At this point, we have no published data on the transmission of Delta infectivity among vaccinated persons. Although doctors say vaccines "work" for Delta as well, but to what extent?
What is needed is a large-scale study involving both vaccinated and unvaccinated persons. The problem is that vaccinated people do not feel the need for testing, so researchers have very little data.
"Since more than 98 percent of fully vaccinated people feel well - and therefore do not feel the need for testing - they are more likely to transmit the Delta virus without knowing they are carrying it," says researcher Joseph Mazur.
A possible reason for the spread
Vaccinations protect us from serious diseases, but they offer very little protection to others because - as Mazur assumes - the vaccinated among us carry as many viruses in their nasal cavities as the unvaccinated. We think we are immune, so we act as if there is no problem being with vaccinated and unvaccinated people, talking without masks and staying indoors / overcrowded.
The virus, then, continues to jump from one person to another, vaccinated or not, continuing to circulate across the globe. We need to understand that vaccines are not "magic bullets", although they are very effective in preventing Covid-19 / Delta-related symptoms.
In conclusion, larger-scale studies are needed to transmit Delta to both the vaccinated and the unvaccinated.
Burimi: Psychology Today
