Delta
The Delta
variant: What parents need to know as children head back to
school Is the Delta variant more contagious? The Delta variant is the most contagious variant to date. We know that it can spread rapidly, and that's obviously a major concern for children under 12 who can’t be vaccinated yet. It's also a concern for the many adolescents that are still in the process of getting vaccinated. What are the symptoms? The Delta variant is presenting itself a bit differently in children and adolescents. We are seeing more upper respiratory congestion, congestive features and less prominence of loss of taste and smell, at least initially. Also, similar symptoms that have been apparent throughout the pandemic continue to be the case in children and adolescents, like fever, fatigue, and a variety of upper respiratory symptoms. Any child who has symptoms consistent with an upper respiratory tract infection should be evaluated for COVID-19. Do I need to get my child vaccinated? It's impossible to overemphasize the importance of vaccination. We know these vaccines are effective at preventing severe COVID-19 disease and they continue to work against the variants. We need to continue to encourage everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated as soon as possible, especially with the rapidly spreading Delta variant. As students head back to school, how can parents keep their children safe from COVID-19? It's critically important for parents of children 12 years of age and above to get those adolescents vaccinated as soon as possible. Of course, masking, distancing, and sanitizing – the behaviors we learned in 2020 to keep us safe – must continue to be practiced. That means parents need to have conversations about these safe hygiene and behavioral practices with their children in anticipation of the school year, especially parents with children under 12 who can’t be vaccinated yet. Remember that any symptomatic child should stay home. We want to keep all the other children safe, and prevent the spread of this infection as much as possible. When do you anticipate the COVID-19 vaccine will be available for children younger than 12? Texas Children's is one of several elite children's hospitals who have been selected as centers for the pediatric vaccine trials nationally and globally. We’re partnering with Pfizer and Moderna to bring the mRNA vaccines for COVID 19 to children younger than 12 years of age as soon as possible. The timeline is difficult to predict. Our initial goal to have data compiled for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was sometime in September. However, the FDA just recently requested greater numbers of children be enrolled in these studies at centers across the country. We expect that request will extend the length of the trials, but hopefully by just a few weeks. At this point, we remain committed to the fall of 2021. Before the end of the calendar year, our first priority is to have vaccines available for children 5 to 11 years of age. We hope to see vaccines available for children under 5 in late 2021 or early 2022. Are you seeing a rise in any other illnesses outside of COVID-19? It's important to keep in mind that we have seen a tremendous amount of RSV, which stands for respiratory syncytial virus. RSV is a well-known cause of respiratory tract infections that can be very serious and could lead to hospitalization, especially for young children with infectious diseases such as bronchiolitis. We have to keep in mind there are other respiratory viruses that are circulating and may cause infections. And although influenza has been a relatively minor story in 2021, we are certainly keeping an eye on the Southern Hemisphere and Australia to help us predict what might be in store in the fall in the winter. It remains very important to take a
child who is sick with symptoms compatible with the
respiratory tract infection to their pediatrician and get
testing as soon as possible. The tests that we offer at
Texas Children’s can certainly enable us to quickly
diagnose COVID-19, as well as other respiratory viral
infections. Growing
concerns about the COVID-19 Delta variant - 7/8/21 "We're concerned. We're watching it. It seems to be a lot more transmissible than the previous strains that we've had, so it's possible we're going to see increases in case counts at some point because of it," said Dr. Paul Cieslak, Senior Health Adviser for the Oregon Health Authority. Cieslak said the Delta variant currently accounts for about 30% of all COVID-19 cases in the U.S. and has grown from 1% to 5% of cases in Oregon. Around the rest of the world, the Delta variant has led to the re-issuing of lockdowns in countries like Australia, South Africa, and Indonesia. Studies have shown the Delta variant to be at least 50% more contagious than the Alpha variant, which was first discovered in the United Kingdom. "Fortunately, all the evidence we have gathered, for people who are fully vaccinated, they still have enough protection against this variant," said Chunhuei Chi, Director of Oregon State University's Center for Global Health. Studies have shown that one dose of the Pfizer vaccine provides only 33% protection against the Delta variant, compared to 50% protection against the Alpha variant. As such, people who are not fully vaccinated and those who are unvaccinated are most vulnerable. Children under the age of 12 are not yet eligible to be vaccinated. "Personally, I would recommend don't bring unvaccinated children into a concert or sports event or movie theater," said Chi. In L.A. County, California, the health department recently recommended even fully vaccinated people go back to wearing masks indoors because of a spike in cases of COVID-19 believed to be connected to the Delta variant. Cieslak said he doesn't expect to see
a change in mask guidance in Oregon unless the state sees a
dramatic increase in cases or hospitalizations, which have
been trending downward the past several weeks. Delta variant
hitting Oregon, but vaccines are working - 7/14/21 Since the spring surge in Oregon peaked at the end of April, the state has continuously dropped in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths to levels not seen in nearly a year. A major factor is the timing of vaccinations being widely available to residents during the spring, with Oregon going from averaging over 821 new cases a day to less than 190. That was the level reached just last week when Oregon reported only 1,282 new cases from July 1 through July 7. OSU prof looks at the ‘why’ behind vaccine hesitancy Why is that July 1 date especially important? Because it’s the day Governor Kate Brown fully reopened Oregon. Since then, we are seeing cases and hospitalizations going back up, the pattern of every surge in the state throughout the pandemic says that deaths are soon to follow. It’s important to note the state’s reopening is not the only cause for this. Case rates have gone up following every major holiday (Thanksgiving, Christmas/New Year’s, Easter, Memorial Day) as people gather to celebrate, and the Fourth of July was no different. It’s also at time when the new delta variant is becoming the most prevalent and contagious version of the virus in America. CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports the delta variant is 2-3 times more contagious than the original Wuhan strain. How much of a rise are these three factors causing in Oregon? It’s still too early to tell a full number, but in just a short comparison from this week to last week, there was an 18.55% rise in cases. New COVID cases reported in 25 Oregon counties That’s also the first time Oregon has gone up in cases since the spring surge peak. It’s also a turn around from 3 weeks ago when Oregon was dropping in cases by 20.21%. In fact, this week’s total new cases of 1,527 is higher than in either of the last two weeks — meaning not only is the state rising in cases, but at a faster level. Oregon is also seeing hospitalizations start to rise again. OHA officials have reported 8 straight weeks of lower numbers of patients in the hospital because of the virus. On July 10, only 99 patients were reported, the first time the state had less than 100 in a single day since the state began releasing daily hospital numbers in November. But since that record low, hospitalizations are on the rise with 122 as of July 14. That’s an 18% increase in less than a week. It’s not all grim news for Oregon though. The state recently became the 18th in the country to reach at least 70% of its populations getting at least one dose of the virus. That effort is showing benefits in how limited it is keeping new cases from rising even higher compared to states far less vaccinated. The latest hotspot for the delta variant in the country is Missouri which has only a 55% vaccination rate for adults. In Missouri’s Greene County, less than 35% of the population has been vaccinated. The city of Springfield, which is located in Greene County has two hospitals treating around 260 patients combined for COVID right now. That’s double than the entire state of Oregon has at the same moment. It’s a similar case in Arkansas right now where the state saw 1,476 new cases of the virus in just a 24-hour period on Tuesday. In contrast, Oregon has only ever seen more than that many cases in a single day twice, both during the worst of the winter surge, and that despite Oregon having nearly 33% more people in it than all of Arkansas. Unlike previous surges of the virus across the United States, the delta variant is really a story of vaccinated versus unvaccinated. As Dr. Anthony Fauci said on “Face the Nation” on July 10, people who “have a high degree of vaccination are quite protected against the delta variant.” Oregon has anchored itself firmly in
the vaccinated group of states, but there’s still a
long way to go. The rise in cases shows that while the delta
variant is much less of an issue in Oregon thanks to the
vaccine, there is a large enough percentage of the
unvaccinated to keep the virus spreading and deadly. The
delta variant has reached Eastern Oregon, health officials
say - 7/14/21 The delta variant of the Coronavirus is in eastern and southeastern Oregon. “The delta variant is here. Health officials I talked to said it exists, it’s in Malheur county,” said Pat Caldwell, a reporter for the newspaper Malheur Enterprise. He covers the pandemic in southeast Oregon. Malheur County has a COVID-19 vaccination rate of just 36.6%. It is topped only by Lake County for the lowest rate in Oregon. Lake County has vaccinated just 35% of adults. Umatilla County is third lowest with 41% vaccination rate. Caldwell said the health department is trying to bring the number up, but those who are not vaccinated are not interested. “This is a very conservative county with a very conservative outlook. And I think there’s a sense that they don’t like people tell them what to do. You know? There’s a sense too that the crisis is over. You know? That this is passed,” said Caldwell. Things do look promising in Malheur county. According to the Oregon Health Authority on July 13, the county had no new cases and over the last seven days, the average new case count was just one per day. However, there is concern it could soon join Umatilla County in seeing an uptick in the number of cases and variant cases. On July 13, OHA reported 27 new cases and a seven-day average of 19 new cases a day. Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU) researchers are tracking the fast-spreading delta variant and say it has been found in Umatilla County as well as others. “Over the last three weeks in Oregon, the last 21 days, the delta variant accounts for 31% of the viruses that have been identified in this state,” said Dr. Bill Messer, a researcher with the Department of Molecular Microbiology. When asked if it is spreading, he said, “Oh yeah. I would say almost unquestionably.” He said it still not too late to get a vaccination to protect not only individuals but also the community. “As one of these viruses gets into an unvaccinated community, it’s not just a number of people but it’s probably people that share social space and work space making it really likely that the virus will be able to move fairly quickly thru those populations,” Dr. Messer said. Have a comment or story idea for Pat Dooris? Email him at pdooris@kgw.com After declines,
Oregon again sees rise in COVID-19 cases - 7/16/21 For at least 11 consecutive weeks COVID-19 cases had been decreasing in Oregon, until last week. Health experts point to the highly contagious delta variant, first detected in India, as a factor as state and federal officials continue to warn about a “pandemic of the unvaccinated.” “Cases are increasing and this is certainly due to the increasing percentage of the delta variant in Oregon. This has been seen in communities across the world,” Tim Heider, a spokesman for the Oregon Health Authority, said Friday. “If you are fully vaccinated, you are well protected from COVID, including the delta variant. If you are not vaccinated, make a plan to do so, and take precautions like wearing a mask indoors and in outdoor crowded places until you are vaccinated." A file photo of a sign on U.S. Highway 26 outside of Portland encouraging people to get their COVID-19 vaccination, taken June 28, 2021. A file photo of a sign on U.S. Highway 26 outside of Portland encouraging people to get their COVID-19 vaccination, taken June 28, 2021. Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB Last week the the Oregon Health Authority reported 1,318 new COVID-19 cases — an 11% increase from the previous week. Hospitalizations rose from 66 to 104. While Oregon’s data shows that the delta variant accounts for only 5% of the state's COVID-19 cases, officials say that is likely an undercount as sequencing data can take weeks to be reported and not all coronavirus cases are tested for the variant. “The (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) estimates that the delta variant will continue to spread in the weeks to come and this increase will also be seen in Oregon,” read a statement from the state health authority. The contagious variant has further increased officials' concerns for unvaccinated people. The outbreak in the U.S. is becoming “a pandemic of the unvaccinated” because nearly all hospital admissions and deaths are among those who hadn’t been immunized, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky warned on Friday. In Oregon, more than 70% of Oregon's adults have been fully or partially vaccinated. But in some rural counties there is a significant portion of the population that still has not received a shot. In Multnomah County — the state's most populous county and home to Portland — 74% of adults are fully or partially vaccinated. In Lake County, in southern Oregon, a mere 36% of adults are partially or fully vaccinated. In 12 out of the state's 36 counties, less than 50% of adults in those counties have been vaccinated. "It's not a question for unvaccinated people if they're going to get the virus," Dr. Jon Hitzman, a public health officer for Umatilla County — where 42% of adults are fully or partially vaccinated — told The Oregonian/Oregon Live this week. "It's when they're going to get it and how sick they're going to get." In addition, this week the Oregon Health Authority announced a new goal of 80% of adults of color receiving the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of summer — in an attempt to close the equity gap. Officials say that the vaccination rates for Hispanic, American Indian and and Black communities are hovering in the mid-40% range. The possibility of increasing coronavirus cases persisting has some wondering if the state will reimplement restrictions — including mask mandates, capacity limits, county risk levels that dictate restrictions and distancing requirements — that were lifted by Gov. Kate Brown on June 30. This possibility became a reality for Los Angeles County when officials announced that beginning Saturday night residents will again be required to wear masks in indoor public spaces — regardless of their vaccination status. As for Oregon, if cases, hospitalizations and deaths surge then “nothing is off the table” when it comes to the possibility of reinstating restrictions, said state epidemiologist Dr. Dean Sidelinger during a public Q&A this week. “If disease increases
significantly in Oregon, or in the United States, and if
hospitalizations are increasing — to where we get to a
point that people may not have access to the quality care
that they deserve — then we will certainly talk about
if we need additional measures in place,” Sidelinger
said. Delta variant
prevalence is still low in Oregon, but masks can help -
7/7/21 The World Health Organization says that vaccinated people should wear masks; the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not. Kim Repp, the chief epidemiologist for Washington County, Oregon, stopped short of saying vaccinated people should wear masks to avoid the delta variant. But she did say during an appearance on OPB’s “Think Out Loud” on Wednesday that masking indoors can still help protect vaccinated people from getting COVID-19. “Masks are best practice,” Repp said. “That’s not really something profound.” The delta variant of the coronavirus was first identified in India, where the very transmissible variant led to a dramatic increase in deaths from COVID-19. As the variant has arrived in other countries with different vaccination rates, it has led to an increase in infections. In many U.S. states, it has become the dominant variant. In Los Angeles. County, where about 51% of the residents are vaccinated, the arrival of the delta variant led to a sharp rise in cases and hospitalizations. The health department has asked vaccinated individuals to mask up. Oregon hasn’t done that yet. While state officials acknowledge that masks can confer protection, they have stopped short of recommending it, instead emphasizing the individual choice of all Oregonians to protect each other. And although the delta variant is becoming more common in Oregon, it hasn’t yet taken off. And many pockets of Oregon have low vaccination rates. “The delta variant will get into one of those communities and spread like wildfire through all of the people who aren’t vaccinated,” Repp said. “And then once it bumps up against people who are vaccinated, it shifts and then looks for the next group of people.” During a delta-variant outbreak in Israel, where about 57% of the population is fully vaccinated, a study found that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was 64% effective at preventing illness from COVID-19. That’s a big dip from the pre-delta studies that said the Pfizer vaccine was 95% effective. Other studies found much higher efficacy rates for both mRNA vaccines against delta. But there are two things all studies agree on: The vaccines are very effective at preventing serious illness from all COVID-19 variants, and the delta variant seems at least a bit better at getting around vaccines than other variants. That’s one reason the World Health Organization has continued to recommend masks for vaccinated individuals. Another reason the CDC has cited, and which Repp echoed, is that other countries have lower vaccination rates than the U.S. By that logic, the U.S. should issue different advice than an organization issuing blanket recommendations for all countries. But countries with high vaccination rates, like Israel, struggled in the face of the delta variant and ended up requiring masks for all individuals. There is also the issue of
transmission in vaccinated individuals: early evidence shows
that vaccinated people can transmit the delta variant. Transmission
event of SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant reveals multiple vaccine
breakthrough infections - 7/8/21 AbstractFull TextInfo/HistoryMetrics Preview PDF Abstract Importance Vaccine breakthrough by an emergent SARS-CoV-2 variant poses a great risk to global public health. Objective To determine the SARS-CoV-2 variant responsible for 6 cases of vaccine breakthrough. Design Nasopharyngeal swabs from suspected vaccine breakthrough cases were tested for SARS-CoV-2 by qPCR for Wuhan-Hu1 and Alpha variant. Positive samples were then sequenced by Swift Normalase Amplicon Panels to determine the causal variant. Setting Transmission event occurred at events surrounding a wedding outside of Houston, TX. Two patients from India, likely transmitted the Delta variant to other guests. Participants Following a positive SARS-CoV-2 qPCR test at a third-party site, six fully vaccinated patients were investigated. Three males and three females ranged from 53 to 69 years old. One patient suffered from diabetes while three others were classified as overweight. No significant other comorbidities were identified. None of the patients had a history of failed vaccination. Question Which SARS-CoV-2 variant is responsible for 6 cases of vaccine breakthrough, one interventional monoclonal antibody treatment, and one death? Findings Viral sequencing revealed 6 vaccinated patients were infected with the Delta SARS-CoV-2 variant. With no histories of vaccine breakthrough, this suggests Delta variant may possess immune evasion in patients that received the Pfizer BNT162b2, Moderna mRNA-1273, and Covaxin BBV152. Meaning Delta variant may pose the highest risk out of any currently circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants, with increased transmissibility over Alpha variant and possible vaccine breakthrough. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Funding Statement Supported by Baylor College of Medicine internal funding. Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: The Baylor College of Medicine Institutional review board approved sequencing of patient samples under protocol H-47423. All necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines and uploaded the relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material as supplementary files, if applicable. Yes Updates on the
Delta variant - 7/13/21 Delta variant defined The Delta variant is classified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a “variant of concern” (VOC). Variants are changes to a virus through mutation; they occur regularly. Many variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 have been documented in the United States and globally during this pandemic, but CDC has designated only a few as “variants of concern” because we have evidence that they either spread more readily, cause more severe disease or evade testing, therapies or vaccination. According to the CDC’s website, the Delta variant spreads much more easily than other COVID-19 variants. The CDC also states that the Delta variant may have resistance to monoclonal antibody treatments and vaccination. The CDC and Oregon Health Authority (OHA) have been closely monitoring VOCs — including the Delta variant — throughout the pandemic and all vaccines authorized for emergency use in the U.S. remain effective against all COVID-19 variants, including the Delta variant. How the Delta variant is spreading While it’s welcome news that vaccinations are effective in preventing infection from COVID-19, that doesn’t mean that the Delta variant isn’t still spreading. According to the CDC’s COVID Data Tracker, the Delta variant accounted for an estimated 30% of all variants circulating nationally in the 2-week period ending June 19. This represented a significant increase over the previous 2-week period ending June 5, in which the Delta variant only accounted for an estimated 10% of all variants circulating nationally. Oregon pulls its own variant surveillance data from GISAID — a public data repository. OHA asks all state partners performing sequencing — the process whereby scientists identify the COVID-19 virus and monitor its changes over time into new variants — to report their data to GISAID. Oregon’s GISAID data shows that the Delta variant now accounts for at least 5% of all of Oregon’s COVID-19 cases (this number may change because sequencing data can take weeks to be reported). The CDC estimates that the Delta variant will continue to spread in the weeks to come and this increase will also be seen in Oregon. Delta’s spread hasn’t resulted in more breakthrough cases Many have asked whether the Delta variant has caused an uptick in vaccine breakthrough cases in Oregon. Vaccine breakthrough cases are defined as instances in which an individual received a positive COVID-19 test result at least 14 days following the completion of any COVID-19 vaccine series. OHA is carefully monitoring vaccine breakthrough cases in Oregon and is actively studying this question in collaboration with the CDC. On July 1, Oregon Health Authority released its latest monthly report on breakthrough cases, which demonstrated how effective COVID-19 vaccines are in preventing infection. Fully vaccinated individuals are highly protected from COVID-19 infection. However, partially vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals remain susceptible to the harmful effects of the same virus. For the month of June, Oregon reported 7,241 total cases of COVID-19. 92% of those cases occurred in unvaccinated individuals. Oregon also reported 63 COVID-19-associated deaths for the month of June. 94% of these deaths occurred in unvaccinated individuals. As OHA Director Patrick Allen expressed in a June 4 press conference, Oregon is currently caught in a “tale of two pandemics.” “The data clearly show that if you are fully vaccinated, you can begin to put the pandemic behind you,” said Director Allen. “But if you’re unvaccinated, the thread of COVID-19 still shadows your life.” As the pandemic continues, state and local epidemiologists at OHA will continue to track all vaccine breakthrough cases and issue monthly vaccine breakthrough reports, which will be posted to the OHA website. Additionally, you can view breakthrough case data on OHA’s Daily Data Update dashboard. Vaccine boosters still not recommended Oregon Health Authority continues to endorse the recommendations of CDC and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for COVID-19 vaccine dosing. Under current conditions, the CDC and ACIP do not recommend administering booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccines. Furthermore, administering a booster to an individual would be outside the scope of the FDA emergency use authorization. Boosters recommended by a physician beyond the EUA scope should be discussed directly with the manufacturer and FDA. Vaccines given according to the currently recommended schedule continue to be highly effective in reducing the risk of serious illness from COVID-19. Observational data confirm that currently available vaccines are effective against new variants, including the Delta variant. Under the provider agreements in the CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Program, providers are required to administer COVID-19 vaccine in conformance with CDC/ACIP guidance. Until the ACIP considers and recommends administration of additional doses, and CDC adopts their recommendation, providers will not be authorized to administer additional doses. Get vaccinated Vaccination remains the safest and
most effective way for all people in Oregon to get back to
doing the things they love. If you are 12 or older, visit
OHA’s Find a COVID-19 Vaccine in Oregon webpage to
schedule your vaccine appointment today.
|
|||||||||||||||||
