Biden, Health Experts Warn the Delta COVID Variant Could be ‘Dangerous’ for Young People
Image: CNBC
President Joe Biden says the Delta COVID variant is ‘particularly dangerous’ for young people.
His administration is pleading to Americans to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as quickly as possible, especially the younger population.
A recent analysis suggests that in many states, the rate of infection among unvaccinated Americans rivals that during the peak months of December 2020 and January 2021, and that these recent cases are being driven by unvaccinated individuals between the ages of 18 and 34.
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As we begin the summer of 2021, young adults are getting vaccinated at a slower rate than those in older age groups and are more likely to wait and see or get vaccinated only if it’s required.
Kristiana McLarty is a third-year medical student at Morehouse School of Medicine.
“You know, sometimes we think that because we are younger we have great immune systems, that we are not affected as much as maybe, you know, grandma and grandpa or someone who is really sick. But you can still transmit the virus, you can have an asymptomatic infection or you can have the milder symptoms and think that you just had the common cold,” said McLarty.
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She is a volunteer administering vaccines at local COVID-19 vaccination drives, and provides counsel to community health projects and health intervention strategies in lower socioeconomic neighborhoods.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky expects Delta to become the dominant variant in the United States.
Studies suggest Delta is around 60% more transmissible than alpha, the variant first identified in the United Kingdom.
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Dr. Ross McKinney, Chief Scientific Officer at the AAMC worried about variants. He is a pediatric infectious disease expert.
“Is the virus different? It is different, the Delta variant is much more likely to infect younger people and it’s more variant. The fact that it catches all those people that aren’t vaccinated and it’s more likely to put them in the hospital, is a concern. We are paying more attention because the older folks are more highly vaccinated and we are seeing more of what there is of the disease occurring in the younger population.” said McKinney.
SOURCE
Author: John Gonzalez
Publication: 7News
Title: Biden, health experts warn the Delta COVID variant could be ‘dangerous’ for young people
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