“As infectious as this new variant is turning out to be, it would seem the US should have herd immunity by the fall.”
I think so too.
Mrsmith posted a link yesterday, about the infectiousness of the Delta variant. It appears that people people with Delta can shed as much as a thousand times more virus, as compared to the original strain. It breeds quicker in the body as well (or as another aspect of the same feature), so infectiousness develops quicker after exposure.
It seems that we already pretty much had herd immunity to the earlier strain. After this extra-infectious variant rips through the remaining unvaccinated, I doubt there will be much running room left in the American population for any other likely variant to do much, if anything.
Eh, which thread was that info. posted in? Your vaccinations thread?
A key question would be, does Delta shed so heavily from asymptomatic (or mildly symptomatic) carriers?
Thanks.
Delta is within 3% of the original Covid genome. Anyone with cellular (ie: natural) immunity will be able to react to it & their immune systems will respond appropriately.
The vaxxed, OTOH, have specific antibodies to COVID-10, which is now gone and is instead mutated. Their long-term T-cell response is lessened as the vax antibodies damage the cellular segment of the immune system. Coronaviruses are famous for their constant mutation. Vaxxed will *need* *boosters* in perpetuity unless they can use preventatives/treatments and detox from the spike.
Hopefully, treatments will be found.
EVERYONE needs to be cautious about *vaccines* in future as the stated goal is to include the COVID-19-specific spike proteins in future flu and shingles shots (and whatever else they can finagle.). Once upon a time, tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis were separate vaccines. Pertussis has supposedly become much milder in the past 70 years. There is no medical reason to combine the shots when one might only need a tetanus booster due to a puncture wound. My cynical guess is the Pharms needed a way to continue making bank off of diphtheria and pertussis.