A new COVID-19 study conducted some laboratory tests to determine why the new variant is more efficient when it comes to evading people's immune systems than other strains.
Bruno Cassaro de Andrade, a chemical engineering student, works with a test during the method of separating specific proteins to be applied in the production of vaccines on March 24, 2020 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The Ministry of Health convened The Technological Vaccine Center of the Federal University of Minas Gerais.
Recently, CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) claimed that Delta could be the most dominant COVID-19 strain in different parts of the globe, including in the United States.
And now, the health department's concern came true after the new COVID-19 variant became the most infectious one in the U.S., accounting for more than half of the nation's infection cases since the last week of June.
Because of this, various researchers want to identify how Delta evades people's immune systems. The new study titled "Reduced sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 variant Delta to antibody neutralization," published by the Nature journal, claimed that the new Delta variant, first found in India, is 60% more contagious COVID-19 Alpha.
COVID-19 Delta Is Less Sensitive Compared To Alpha
According to The New York Times' latest report, the new COVID-19 Delta is less sensitive compared to the Alpha variant when it comes to infecting unvaccinated individuals. The researchers tested the blood samples of more than 100 participants of the new study.
A person is vaccinated during a national campaign of vaccination implemented by the government after having decreed a state of health emergency at CDI Dr. Alcides Rodriguez on March 14, 2020 in Caracas, Venezuela. Delcy Rodriguez, Vice President of Venezuela, confirmed on Friday 13th the first two cases of COVID-19.
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"We examined its sensitivity to monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and to antibodies present in sera from COVID-19 convalescent individuals or vaccine recipients, in comparison to other viral strains," said researchers.
"Variant Delta was resistant to neutralization by some anti-NTD and anti-RBD mAbs including Bamlanivimab, which were impaired in binding to the Spike," they added.
On the other hand, medical experts also found out that people who recovered from other COVID-19 variants have boosted immunity, making Delta strain a little sensitive.
Meanwhile, they also analyzed 59 individuals who received one and two doses of Pfizer or AstraZeneca. They conclude that those who only received one dose could still be infected by the new COVID-19 strain.
Why Delta is Now the Most Dominant Variant in the U.S.?
The new study reiterated that those who are fully vaccinated or received the second dose of their vaccines have a 95% chance of neutralizing the new Delta variant. As of the moment, only 48% of U.S. residents are fully vaccinated. The remaining 55% still received only one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
This could be one of the main reasons why almost half of the new cases in the U.S. are caused by the new Delta strain. When it comes to symptoms, WCNC reported that it still has the same symptoms as other variants, such as sore throat, fever, diarrhea, and more.
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Written by: Griffin Davis
