Is There a Vaccine for the Covid- 19 Delta Variant or Omicron Variant?
The rollout of vaccines across the world has been surprisingly quick and big pharma companies such as Pfizer say they can roll out a new vaccine to cover new variants in 100 days.
Where was the Delta variant found?
First, the Delta variant was found in India. The health ministry says the Delta plus variant, first found in India in April, has been detected in around 40 samples from six districts in three states – Maharashtra, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh. At least 16 of these samples were found in Maharashtra, one of the states hardest hit by the pandemic.
Where was the Delta Plus found?
The variant AY.4.2, is also known as ‘Delta Plus’ variant. A mutation of Delta variant, which was first found in India, this variant has been followed by the World Health Organization (WHO) since July and is present now in dozens of countries. Most of the cases have occurred in the U.K. but even there, it’s only present in about 6% of the cases. In the United States, it’s been present in less than 1% of cases.
Where was the Omicron variant found?
The omicron variant appeared first in South Africa and Botswana. then the Omicron variant appeared in Botswana, Belgium, Hong Kong and Israel.
A number of countries around the world have now decided to ban or restrict travel to and from southern Africa.
Travellers from South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini will not be able to enter the UK unless they are UK or Irish nationals, or UK residents.
“This variant has a large number of mutations, some of which are concerning,” the UN public health body said in a statement.
It said “the first known confirmed B.1.1.529 infection was from a specimen collected on 9 November”.
The WHO said it would take a few weeks to understand the impact of the new variant, as scientists worked to determine how transmissible it was.
The vaccines won’t be as effective against the new strains, but may help.
Other Strains of Covid-19
Alpha, Beta, Lamda and Gamma and B.1.1.529 variations have all been found.
Will the Vaccine work against these Covid-19 variants?
Only modest differences in vaccine effectiveness were noted with the delta variant as compared with the alpha variant after the receipt of two vaccine doses. Absolute differences in vaccine effectiveness were more marked after the receipt of the first dose. This finding would support efforts to maximize vaccine uptake with two doses among vulnerable populations. (Funded by Public Health England.)
Is There a Vaccine for the Covid- 19 Delta Variant?
- The COVID-19 vaccine effectively prevents severe illness and death.
- The Delta (B.1.617.2) variant of SARS-CoV-2 is spreading globally in populations with high vaccination rates.
- 1 in 4 fully vaccinated people who have exposure to the Delta variant in the home are likely to get the infection.
- The peak viral load of the Delta virus does not differ between fully vaccinated and nonvaccinated individuals.
- The elimination of the Delta strain of the virus takes place more quickly in vaccinated individuals.
The SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant is the most widely spread variation of the virus, accounting for about 99.8% of cases in the United Kingdom. The highly transmissible Delta variant is spreading globally, including in populations with high vaccination rates.
Pharma companies are working on new vaccines for the variants every day.
Dr. Simon Clarke, who is an associate professor in cellular microbiology at the University of Reading and was not involved in the study, says:
“These findings show that the vaccines remain an effective way to drive down [SARS-CoV-2] infection, but they are not a silver bullet. Infection in the wider community can still be amplified by transmission at home.”
Is There a Vaccine for the Covid- 19 Omicron Variant?
The new omicron Covid variant testing is already under way – CNBC.
- Pfizer and BioNTech are investigating the new, heavily mutated variant of the virus that causes Covid-19, the companies said Friday morning.
- The companies said they can adapt their mRNA vaccine within six weeks and start shipping batches within 100 days if an escape variant is identified.
- Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca on Friday said they also investigating and testing the new variant.
Does Health Insurance Cover You for Covid-19?
Your health insurance does not cover you for the vaccines and it also does not cover pre-existing conditions.
However, it will most likely cover you if you are hospitalized for Covid-19 and you stay overnight at a hospital.
Health insurance is still important to cover cancer, which effects 1 in 2 people as well as against other critical illnesses, heart attacks and serious accidents.
Click here to speak to a health insurance expert