The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been urging people to get vaccinated against COVID-19, saying the Delta variant of the virus is continuously mutating and may soon have new symptoms and worse conditions, particularly targeting the unvaccinated citizens.
The warning comes following news on the continuous debate involving the need for booster shots and the waning efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines. Doctors continue to urge people to get their shots as the benefits of getting vaccinated most often outweigh the risks of getting sick.
The Delta variant of the virus is already known as among the most transmissible mutation of the coronavirus.
According to the CDC, more than the alarming rise in COVID-19 cases, the world may soon see the emergence of more symptoms and worse conditions among those infected by the Delta variant.
Recently published data from the CDC and its public health partners, along with the unpublished surveillance data and the information included in the agency’s updated Science Brief on COVID-19 Vaccines and Vaccination, all point to the possibility of an even worse outbreak linked to the Delta variant, particularly among those who were unvaccinated.
According to the data, the Delta variant is expected to cause more severe illness than any other variant. Two different studies from Canada and Scotland showed that the patients infected with the Delta variant were more likely to be hospitalized than patients infected with Alpha or the original virus that causes COVID-19. This leaves the unvaccinated people at the greatest risk of transmission.
Even the fully vaccinated people may also get COVID-19 (known as breakthrough infections), though the experts believe that it will be less often and less severe than the unvaccinated people. Most of the fully vaccinated people are also expected to get symptomatic breakthrough infections, which could worsen the transmission rates of the virus.
As of writing, however, CDC continues to assess data and track the spread of the virus, both on fully vaccinated people and unvaccinated ones. Even those with asymptomatic breakthrough infections are being monitored as they may also transmit the virus.
