Biden warns unvaccinated about delta variant 1:51
(CNN) -
The spread of the delta variant of the coronavirus in the United States has many experts wondering whether it should be time to test even vaccinated people.
Although health officials have said that evidence shows that vaccinated people are unlikely to transmit the virus to others, Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, says that it may be important to be vigilant to ensure that the most transmissible delta variant does not evade the effects of vaccines.
Current guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that fully vaccinated people can refrain from routine testing.
"I think we should now review this policy with the delta variant and determine if the current recommendations hold," Hotez wrote in an email to CNN on Wednesday.
Además, los CDC solo informan datos sobre infecciones "disruptivas" que causan enfermedad grave. Eso podría significar que los científicos y los funcionarios de salud no sabrán cuántas personas vacunadas tienen infecciones leves o asintomáticas, y será muy difícil rastrear si una nueva variante como delta está causando más fallas en la vacuna.
"Necesitamos diseñar estudios. Suponiendo que esto está en marcha, surge la pregunta: ¿esperamos esos estudios o cambiamos las recomendaciones ahora y reconsideramos las pruebas regulares para las personas vacunadas asintomáticas? Dado lo perturbador que es esto, probablemente me inclinaría a esperar para obtener datos adicionales antes de echar para atrás", escribió Hotez.
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"The good news is that mRNA vaccines are still very protective against serious diseases even for delta."
The mRNA vaccines are manufactured by Moderna and Pfizer / BioNTech.
Johnson & Johnson has also reported evidence that its vaccine protects against delta, also known as B.1.617.2.
"The delta variant can be neutralized with Pfizer and Moderna", according to a specialist
Since vaccines are still very protective, other experts argue that there is no need to change targeting.
"I still think that the probability prior to a positive covid test in vaccinated and asymptomatic people is very small. So much so that one would worry about false positives," Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Center for Vaccine Education, told CNN. at Children's Hospital in Philadelphia on Wednesday.
In general, data on covid-19 cases caused by the delta variant among vaccinated people is difficult, especially when looking for cases that may be asymptomatic.
Starting in May, the CDC went from monitoring all "disruptive" cases of Covid-19 among vaccinated people to only tracking cases that result in hospitalization or death.
In Israel, the Health Ministry issued a brief statement on Monday saying an analysis had shown that the coronavirus vaccine protected somewhat less against severe disease than before, and linked the drop to the spread of the delta variant of the virus.
Israel widely deployed the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine.
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The statement said that as of June 6, the vaccine provided 64% protection against all infections, including asymptomatic and mild illnesses, and a 93% reduction in effectiveness in preventing serious illnesses and hospitalizations.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, said he would like to see more data on the Israeli findings before deciding that the delta variant in fact circumvents the protection offered by vaccines.
"We need to get more granular and specific data from the Israelis," Fauci told CNN's Anderson Cooper.
While "the Israelis know what they are doing," the data is sparse, Fauci added.
The Israeli government has yet to release new data or any other background to support the findings.
"We want to be sure exactly what the circumstances were of that drop from 94% protection against asymptomatic infections to 64%," Fauci said.
"Is that a reflection that they are more aggressively testing anyone and everyone who has come into contact with a person who has an asymptomatic infection? I don't know."
'We hope to see more cases, especially among the unvaccinated.'
In the United States, "disruptive" cases among vaccinated people are so rare that many state health departments that CNN has contacted have not collected enough data to determine patterns or trends yet that could result in a change in the test guide.
For example, Louisiana confirmed to CNN in an email Wednesday that state epidemiologists currently have a disruptive case analysis underway, but need more sequencing data to be confident in sharing estimates at the state level.
"However, we expect to see more cases, especially among unvaccinated people, as the proportion of delta circulating in Louisiana increases," Kevin Litten, a spokesman for the Louisiana Department of Health, wrote in the email.
Like other states, Arkansas has seen a "significant increase" in COVID-19 cases caused by the delta variant, Danyelle McNeill, a spokesperson for the Arkansas Department of Health, told CNN in an email Tuesday.
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Overall, "we have seen an increase in the number of new cases in our state. Additionally, we have seen an increase in the proportion and number of samples that have been identified as the delta variant," McNeill wrote in the email.
But as of now, "due to the lack of information on the variant in all of our current cases, we cannot attribute the increase in the number of cases to the delta variant," McNeill said.
"It is difficult to say if it is a causal relationship."
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