Unvaccinated people are 'variant factories,' infectious diseases expert
says

By Maggie Fox, CNN

Updated 8:58 PM ET, Sat July 3, 2021
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CNN's Brianna Keilar speaks with Salim Abdool Karim, a South African
epidemiologist and former co-chair of the country's Ministerial
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regarding the Omicron variant's spread in South Africa.
South African epidemiologist flags a concern found in new Omicron data
Karen Maynard, a laboratory scientist, prepares COVID-19 samples for
genome sequencing at the Tennessee public health lab in Nashville, Tenn.,
Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021.
CNN goes inside Covid-19 sequencing lab
See ads on Facebook comparing Covid vaccine to Holocaust
Travelers wear protective face masks at Denver International Airport on
November 30, 2021 in Denver, Colorado as concern grows worldwide over the
Omicron coronavirus variant. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP) (Photo by ROBYN
BECK/AFP via Getty Images)
WHO: Travel bans won't keep cases out
Moderna president clarifies CEO's remarks on vaccine's efficacy against
Omicron
CNN medical analyst: Travel bans like 'locking a screen door'
American family stuck in South Africa amid new travel bans
Salim Abdool Karim South Africa omicron variant covid-19 travel ban sot
newday vpx_00011402.png
South African epidemiologist: Travel ban is 'outrageous'
dr francis collins omicron covid-19 pandemic sot sotu vpx_00000101.png
Dr. Francis Collins on pandemic fatigue: The virus is not tired of us
screengrab delta variant indonesia
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worldwide
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'Earth-shattering secret': ER nurse on knowing signs of dying Covid
patients
Dr. Gupta questions Pfizer chief scientist on vaccine's Omicron defense
He was the first American identified with Omicron. Hear his story
Meet the doctor that hunts new Covid-19 variants
Vaccine co-creator: The next pandemic could be worse
CNN's Brianna Keilar speaks with Salim Abdool Karim, a South African
epidemiologist and former co-chair of the country's Ministerial
Advisory Committee on Covid-19, about the latest developments in the data
regarding the Omicron variant's spread in South Africa.
South African epidemiologist flags a concern found in new Omicron data

(CNN)Unvaccinated people do more than merely risk their own health.
They're also a risk to everyone if they become infected with coronavirus,
infectious disease specialists say.
That's because the only source of new coronavirus variants is the body of
an infected person.
"Unvaccinated people are potential variant factories," Dr. William
Schaffner, a professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at
Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told CNN Friday.

"The more unvaccinated people there are, the more opportunities for the
virus to multiply," Schaffner said.

Here's what is known about the Delta variant of coronavirus
Here's what is known about the Delta variant of coronavirus
"When it does, it mutates, and it could throw off a variant mutation that
is even more serious down the road."

All viruses mutate, and while the coronavirus is not particularly
mutation-prone, it does change and evolve.
Most of the changes mean nothing to the virus, and some can weaken it. But
sometimes, a virus develops a random mutation that gives it an advantage
-- better transmissibility, for instance, or more efficient replication,
or an ability to infect a great diversity of hosts.

Viruses with an advantage will outcompete other viruses, and will
eventually make up the majority of virus particles infecting someone. If
that infected person passes the virus to someone else, they'll be passing
along the mutant version.
If a mutant version is successful enough, it becomes a variant.
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Covid-19
White House to deploy response teams focused on combating Delta variant of
Covid-19
But it has to replicate to do that. An unvaccinated person provides that
opportunity.
"As mutations come up in viruses, the ones that persist are the ones that
make it easier for the virus to spread in the population," Andrew Pekosz,
a microbiologist and immunologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of
Public Health, told CNN.
"Every time the viruses changes, that gives the virus a different platform
to add more mutations. Now we have viruses that spread more efficiently."
Viruses that don't spread cannot mutate.
Variants have arisen all over the world -- the B.1.1.7 or Alpha variant
was first seen in England. The B.1.351 or Beta variant was first spotted
in South Africa. The Delta variant, also called B.1.617.2, was seen first
in India. And the US has thrown up several of its own variants, including
the B.1.427 or Epsilon lineage first seen in California, and the B.1.526
or Eta variant first seen in New York.
Rise of Delta variant brings mask question back, even for the vaccinated
Rise of Delta variant brings mask question back, even for the vaccinated
Already, one new variant has swept much of the world. Last summer, a
version of the virus carrying a mutation called D614G went from Europe to
the US and then the rest of the world. The change made the virus more
successful -- it replicated better -- so that version took over from the
original strain that emerged from China. It appeared before people
starting naming the variants, but it became the default version of the
virus.
Most of the newer variants added changes to D614G. The Alpha variant, or
B.1.1.7, became the dominant variant in the US by late spring thanks to
its extra transmissibility. Now the Delta variant is even more
transmissible, and it's set to become the dominant variant in many
countries, including the US.
The current vaccines protect well against all the variants so far, but
that could change at any moment. That's why doctors and public health
officials want more people to get vaccinated.
What parents need to know about children and the Delta variant
What parents need to know about children and the Delta variant
"The more we allow the virus to spread, the more opportunity the virus has
to change," the World Health Organization advised last month.
Vaccines are not widely available in many countries. But in the US, there
is plenty of supply, with slowing demand. Just 18 states have fully
vaccinated more than half their residents, according to data from the US
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"Currently, approximately 1,000 counties in the United States have
vaccination coverage of less than 30%. These communities, primarily in the
Southeast and Midwest, are our most vulnerable. In some of these areas, we
are already seeing increasing rates of disease," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle
Walensky told a White House briefing Thursday.
"Every time we see the virus circulating in the population, particularly a
population that has pockets of immune people, vaccinated people, and
pockets of unvaccinated people, you have a situation where the virus can
probe," Pekosz said.
If a virus tries to infect someone with immunity, it may fail, or it may
succeed and cause a mild or asymptomatic infection. In that case, it will
replicate in response to the pressure from a primed immune system.
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On Fri, 21 Jan 2022 06:25:55 -0000 (UTC), Andrew Chung From China
<namblamembersg@gop.org> wrote:

More propaganda that has absolutely nothing to do with any "gun
lobby."

His original groups list restored for followups....

--
Protect your civil rights!
Let the politicians know how you feel.
Join or donate to the NRA today!
http://membership.nrahq.org/default.asp?campaignid=XR014887
(use cut and paste to your browser if necessary)

Gun control is like trying to reduce drunk driving by making it tougher for sober people to own cars.