Can Existing Vaccines Stop Infection With Delta Variant of SARS-CoV-2?


Can existing vaccines stop infection with delta variant of SARS-CoV-2? The Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 is spreading faster than preexisting variants and has become the dominant variant in several countries such as India and the United Kingdom.

Some reports revealed that existing COVID-19 vaccines are less effective against the infection with Delta. This report studies the same report.

Australia reinforced strict lockdowns due to the rapid spread of the virus. The latest report also states that the variant is more infectious than preexisting ones including the Beta variant.

Prof. Sir Andrew Pollard, head of the Oxford Vaccine Group, also said that vaccines are unable to stop the spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant.

Also, the recent data have revealed that immunity provided by COVID-19 vaccines declines after a while. It states that vaccinated people are still susceptible to SARS-CoV-2.

However, some researchers and pharmaceutical companies argue that additional doses of some of the most widely authorized COVID-19 vaccines could be needed to maximize vaccine-induced protection and keep the Delta variant at bay.

Pfizer’s 2021 second-quarter earnings report suggests that an additional booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine after the administration of the recommended doses increase the amount of Delta variant antibodies fivefold in 18-to-55-year-olds and 11-fold in 65–85-year-olds.

Pfizer spokesperson explained, “This conclusion is based on initial data from the ongoing booster trial of a third dose of the current BNT162b2 vaccine and laboratory tests.”