DELTA VARIANT UPDATE

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Dear Member,

We were hoping that we were not going to need to send you any more letters about COVID-19 other than we were over it! Unfortunately, we are still far off. Vaccines have leveled off in the United States which puts us all at risk as variants continue to develop. For those who are hesitant to vaccinate, we are hopeful they will be encouraged to vaccinate as they see how well millions of vaccinated individuals are doing will in the face of the delta variant.

As the director of the CDC, Rochelle Walensky, has said, it is now becoming the pandemic of the unvaccinated. Up to 99% of hospitalizations are unvaccinated individuals. These are preventable severe diseases and deaths that are now occurring.

Delta variant: the Delta variant is thought to be 60% more contagious than the original variant of COVID-19. It replicates 1000 times more quickly than the previous variants and therefore the viral load people are expelling is much higher than previously. We are seeing quite a few breakthrough infections - mostly from indoor events without masks (ie restaurants or parties) when the mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated is unknown. These infections are considered “mild” but even a mild infection does not always seem that way to the individual. 

If I’m vaccinated and have a breakthrough infection, do I have to worry about infecting others?:  We don’t yet know. The possibility is there especially if one has a large viral load. We do not think it is safe to assume if someone vaccinated has the virus, they cannot transmit it to others. Please act as if they are just as contagious as if they were not vaccinated. Quarantine and isolate them if possible.  

Do we need to wear a mask if we are vaccinated?: The CDC still does not recommend masking if you are immunized against COVID-19. However, we are recommending that you do mask when you are indoors especially if you are unsure about the immunization status of those around you. We do feel that if you are in a room with all vaccinated individuals the risk of contracting COVID-19 is small. 

However, if you are older or immunocompromised, we recommend you always mask when indoors in the company of others (other than your small circle of vaccinated friends and family).

I got COVID-19, do I still need both doses of the mRNA vaccine? The answer is yes. It is also noted that the immune response from vaccinated people was four times stronger than in those who had immunity from the actual COVID-19 infection. Additionally, when all people living in the same house are vaccinated, the risk of anyone in that house contracting COVID-19 is reduced from 57% to 4%.

 Do I need a booster?: As of now, the studies we have been reading, show no reason for a booster if you’ve received the complete series of the mRNA vaccines (Pfizer/Moderna). However, we have been giving patients who request a booster of one dose of Pfizer if they have had the J and J vaccine. This is not yet recommended by the CDC or the FDA. The data surrounding this is mixed. We cannot tell you for sure if it will increase protection against the delta variant. The individuals who have received the booster have had minimal side effects within our practice. We do recommend boosters if you are severely immunocompromised.

Should I test my antibodies?: You can, but insurance is not paying for this test and and it is unclear what the antibody level numbers mean. In general, individuals do not have extremely high antibody levels for every virus and illness that we have “met” in the past or have been vaccinated for in the past. If we did, our blood would be sludge. We do have memory cells (B and T cells) which are not picked up when you do antibody testing. So as of now, we still do not know what a “protective level” of antibodies is. We are not sure how helpful testing your antibodies will be.  

Blood bank shortage: Nationally there is a critical shortage of blood in the blood banks and NYC is no different. The New York Blood Center has declared a blood emergency since supplies are critically low. They are especially in need of O negative and B negative blood, but all blood types are needed. Please consider donating this summer when there is a usual drop in donations regardless of a pandemic. www.nybc.org for more information.

Stay well!

Flatiron Family Medical

@flatironfamily

Sapna Chaudhary