WHO: Most Fully Vaccinated People are Asymptomatic When Infected with the Delta Variant of the COVID-19 Virus

The global health agency answers some questions around possibilities of Delta variant infection in fully vaccinated people

With mass inoculation drives in place all across the globe, many people are concerned about the extent of efficiency of the different vaccines being administered in different countries. But with new variants coming into the picture, people are now concerned about the possibility of being affected by the Delta variant of COVID-19. 

India’s Prime Minister along with different health bodies have already cautioned the people of the country to follow all precautions and guidelines diligently because being fully vaccinated doesn’t eliminate the risk of catching COVID-19. 

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) chief scientist has said that being vaccinated has protected most people from dying or experiencing serious symptoms and discomfort caused due to COVID-19 infection. 

Dr Soumya Swaminathan, WHO’s chief scientist said, “There are reports coming in that vaccinated populations have cases of infection, particularly with the delta variant. The majority of these are mild or asymptomatic infections.”

Dr Swaminathan said that the cases of people being infected with the Delta variant are rising in some parts of the world but they are mainly rising in the areas where there is less vaccine coverage. 

As per the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, in the US, most of the recent cases for COVID-19 leading to hospitalization and death were amongst people who weren’t vaccinated. Severe infections in fully vaccinated people are a rare occurrence. 

However, this doesn’t mean that we should be lax in following precautions and guidelines. The WHO’s chief scientist warned that though breakthrough infections are rare in fully vaccinated people, they can still catch the disease and transmit it to others.  Therefore, following social distancing, sanitization and mask protocols are extremely important. 

On this particular topic, WHO’s Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “The delta variant is ripping around the world at a scorching pace, driving a new spike in cases and death. Not everywhere is taking the same hit, though. We are in the midst of a growing two-track pandemic where the haves and have-nots within and between countries are increasingly divergent in places with high vaccination coverage.”