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In the US the Delta variant has been in the news non-stop for months. Once the vaccines began bringing the pandemic under control here, the Delta variant as th

In the US the Delta variant has been in the news non-stop for months. Once the vaccines began bringing the pandemic under control here, the Delta variant as the new big risk is what the news media began focusing on heavily. That began shortly after case counts exploded dramatically higher in India and gained coverage the further it spread around the globe.

GateCrasher 5y ago
The Netherlands has a decent vaccination rate (38.5% fully vaccinated, something like 66% has received their first shot). The delta variant is wreaking havoc here. The number of cases went from 500 to 10 000 in 3 weeks... Yes this coincided with very poor decision making on the government side (deciding to open all clubs/bars for people who had a negative tests), but still something to be taken serious. So far the # of hospitalizations have stayed low, but if the delta variant continues to spread through groups of people who have been reluctant to vaccinate, this might change.
- fredros 5y ago
  > wreaking havoc VS > the # of hospitalizations have stayed low Who shall I believe?
  - tremon 5y ago
    Check back in a week ;) The spike in cases is very recent, most hospitalizations occur between 3-10 days of onset. [1] reports 31 hospitalizations yesterday (preliminary), a 3-fold increase over last-week's average. [1] https://coronadashboard.rijksoverheid.nl/landelijk/ziekenhuis-opnames https://coronadashboard.rijksoverheid.nl/landelijk/ziekenhui...
    - fredros 5y ago
      5 deaths yesterday, for reference.
  - cr1895 5y ago
    I would consider the abrupt cancellation of all festivals that had merely weeks ago been granted permission by the government to go ahead, as well as yet another imposed restriction on horeca to be wreaking havoc. What will likely come soon is reimposed restrictions on Dutch travelers by other European countries, just as people had been given the go ahead. The government’s test-for-entry system has also shown itself to be problematic. It is fantastically disruptive. “Wreaking havoc” is certainly accurate.
- throw_nbvc1234 5y ago
  And doesn't the delta variant break through the first shot immunity (after a few weeks) but 2nd dose provides durable immunity. And parts of the use (including my county) have >70% of 2 doses. (parts of) the US are in a completely different place vaccine wise compared to most of europe.
polygotdomain 5y ago
I recognize that the Delta variant is serious topic for much of the world, but as a vaccinated person in the US it feels more like media hysteria than anything else. As the article states, for vaccinated people, the risk is low and the Delta variant is likely of little concern, especially when cases are as low as they've been since the start of the pandemic here in the US. However, it seems that the media is pushing the Delta variant as a narrative to help get people vaccinated but it's all falling on deaf ears of those who are specifically choosing not to get vaccinated. The stronger media coverage winds up making those who are vaccinated overly concerned about it, when they as protected as they will be from the variant. For the unvaccinated countries and people, the Delta variant is definitely something to be concerned about. What we should be doing is trying to get vaccines rolled out to as many countries and people as possible, as that's our best tool for getting things under control.
- modmans2nd 5y ago
  The difference between 95% protective and 88% is more significant than you think if you live in a low vaccinated area. The more exposure to the virus you have the more likely it is you will get infected. It’s the spread we need to concern ourselves with, not just personal protection.
  - polygotdomain 5y ago
    To level set, my comments were mainly targeted at the US coverage of the Delta variant where the vaccination rates are largely due to choice rather than accessibility. >The difference between 95% protective and 88% is more significant than you think if you live in a low vaccinated area. ..but if I live in a low vaccinated area, the only thing that will help me after getting vaccinated is other people getting vaccinated. Also, the 88% effective rate of the mRNA vaccines against the delta variant is still significantly higher than the non-mRNA vaccines like Astrazeneca against the primary strain. Is 95% better than 88%, sure, but as far as vaccines go 88% is still very effective. The FDA was originally targeting 50-65% effectiveness in their initial approval guidelines. >It’s the spread we need to concern ourselves with, not just personal protection. Those two concepts are interlinked. If people are not concerned with personal protection, then it's highly unlikely that they will be concerned about the spread. The best thing to minimize the spread and protect yourself is to get the vaccine. It's that straightforward. >The more exposure to the virus you have the more likely it is you will get infected This is the same for everything, not just Covid. As I mentioned, the numbers in the US are very low, so my chance of exposure is already low. In a nation of 330 million people the total number of cases over the last week can fit in a football stadium. In regards to the exposure risk in the US it's fairly minimal.

GateCrasher 5y ago

The Netherlands has a decent vaccination rate (38.5% fully vaccinated, something like 66% has received their first shot). The delta variant is wreaking havoc here. The number of cases went from 500 to 10 000 in 3 weeks... Yes this coincided with very poor decision making on the government side (deciding to open all clubs/bars for people who had a negative tests), but still something to be taken serious. So far the # of hospitalizations have stayed low, but if the delta variant continues to spread through groups of people who have been reluctant to vaccinate, this might change.

fredros 5y ago
> wreaking havoc VS > the # of hospitalizations have stayed low Who shall I believe?
- tremon 5y ago
  Check back in a week ;) The spike in cases is very recent, most hospitalizations occur between 3-10 days of onset. [1] reports 31 hospitalizations yesterday (preliminary), a 3-fold increase over last-week's average. [1] https://coronadashboard.rijksoverheid.nl/landelijk/ziekenhuis-opnames https://coronadashboard.rijksoverheid.nl/landelijk/ziekenhui...
  - fredros 5y ago
    5 deaths yesterday, for reference.
- cr1895 5y ago
  I would consider the abrupt cancellation of all festivals that had merely weeks ago been granted permission by the government to go ahead, as well as yet another imposed restriction on horeca to be wreaking havoc. What will likely come soon is reimposed restrictions on Dutch travelers by other European countries, just as people had been given the go ahead. The government’s test-for-entry system has also shown itself to be problematic. It is fantastically disruptive. “Wreaking havoc” is certainly accurate.
throw_nbvc1234 5y ago
And doesn't the delta variant break through the first shot immunity (after a few weeks) but 2nd dose provides durable immunity. And parts of the use (including my county) have >70% of 2 doses. (parts of) the US are in a completely different place vaccine wise compared to most of europe.

polygotdomain 5y ago

I recognize that the Delta variant is serious topic for much of the world, but as a vaccinated person in the US it feels more like media hysteria than anything else. As the article states, for vaccinated people, the risk is low and the Delta variant is likely of little concern, especially when cases are as low as they've been since the start of the pandemic here in the US. However, it seems that the media is pushing the Delta variant as a narrative to help get people vaccinated but it's all falling on deaf ears of those who are specifically choosing not to get vaccinated. The stronger media coverage winds up making those who are vaccinated overly concerned about it, when they as protected as they will be from the variant. For the unvaccinated countries and people, the Delta variant is definitely something to be concerned about. What we should be doing is trying to get vaccines rolled out to as many countries and people as possible, as that's our best tool for getting things under control.

modmans2nd 5y ago
The difference between 95% protective and 88% is more significant than you think if you live in a low vaccinated area. The more exposure to the virus you have the more likely it is you will get infected. It’s the spread we need to concern ourselves with, not just personal protection.
- polygotdomain 5y ago
  To level set, my comments were mainly targeted at the US coverage of the Delta variant where the vaccination rates are largely due to choice rather than accessibility. >The difference between 95% protective and 88% is more significant than you think if you live in a low vaccinated area. ..but if I live in a low vaccinated area, the only thing that will help me after getting vaccinated is other people getting vaccinated. Also, the 88% effective rate of the mRNA vaccines against the delta variant is still significantly higher than the non-mRNA vaccines like Astrazeneca against the primary strain. Is 95% better than 88%, sure, but as far as vaccines go 88% is still very effective. The FDA was originally targeting 50-65% effectiveness in their initial approval guidelines. >It’s the spread we need to concern ourselves with, not just personal protection. Those two concepts are interlinked. If people are not concerned with personal protection, then it's highly unlikely that they will be concerned about the spread. The best thing to minimize the spread and protect yourself is to get the vaccine. It's that straightforward. >The more exposure to the virus you have the more likely it is you will get infected This is the same for everything, not just Covid. As I mentioned, the numbers in the US are very low, so my chance of exposure is already low. In a nation of 330 million people the total number of cases over the last week can fit in a football stadium. In regards to the exposure risk in the US it's fairly minimal.