Vaccines Stop Cases…If They’re Given
The Delta variant poses a huge threat—but not to vaccinated people. Unvaccinated people are still being hospitalized and killed by Covid, and we’re seeing worrying Delta-fueled outbreaks, particularly in places with low vaccination rates. 1/
The Delta variant poses a huge threat—but not to vaccinated people. Unvaccinated people are still being hospitalized and killed by Covid, and we’re seeing worrying Delta-fueled outbreaks, particularly in places with low vaccination rates. 1/
Don’t get caught up in fears that Delta is evading vaccine immunity. Our vaccines are working. Evidence has shown that mRNA vaccines provide excellent protection, J&J announced that their vaccine is likely also effective against Delta. bit.ly/3he9SoU 2/
Good news: Getting vaccinated virtually eliminates your risk of being hospitalized or dying from Covid. bit.ly/3jztwwT 3/
Bad news: Delta is spreading rapidly around the world and millions of lives are at risk. We must reach the unvaccinated in the US, prioritize vaccination for health workers and people over 60 globally, and urgently expand vaccine manufacturing. 4/
No question Delta is much more contagious than the original strain, and it might be more lethal. In the US, Delta makes up an increasingly large share of cases. A couple weeks ago, it was 6% of identified cases. Within weeks, it will be more than half. bit.ly/2V09DFc 5/
Falling cases in the US hide what’s going on below the surface. Vaccination rates vary wildly among states: 66% of people in Vermont are fully vaccinated, for example, while only 30% (!) in Mississippi are. 6/ 
States and communities with low vaccination rates are letting the virus gain the upper hand—we’re starting to see increases in some of these places. There’s an increasing correlation between vaccination coverage and cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. 7/
As places with less vaccination have more outbreaks, this @NYTimes risk-level map is even more important. See how hard it’s raining Covid in your community. Unvaccinated people are at particular risk. Striking – 100-FOLD! – differences around the US. nyti.ms/3AmNNMo 8/
Covid, aided by Delta, is causing major spikes in much of Africa and other regions around the world, including Latin America, that don’t have access to vaccines. Must mask, avoid superspreading, protect health care, and vaccinate ASAP. 9/
Delta is also causing an outbreak in the UK. But relatively high vaccination coverage has limited its impact. And so far, hospitalizations and deaths have increased somewhat but not spiked, and they’re concentrated in unvaccinated populations. 10/
Covid isn’t over. Uncontrolled spread increases the risk of vaccine-escape mutants arising—but they’re not here yet. Globally, our focus must be expanding vaccination, masking up, limiting superspreading, protecting health care systems, and continuing social protections. 11/end
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