They can occur if the body fails to mount a strong enough immune response to prevent an infection. Overall, all the vaccines remain highly effective at preventing severe illness and death from the Delta variant.

Does the COVID-19 Delta variant cause more serious illness?

• Some data suggest the Delta variant might cause more severe illness than previous strains in unvaccinated persons. In two different studies from Canada and Scotland, patients infected with the Delta variant were more likely to be hospitalized than patients infected with Alpha or the original virus strains.

Are some COVID-19 variants more dangerous?

Some variants seem to spread more easily and quickly than other variants, which may lead to more cases of COVID-19. An increase in the number of cases will put more strain on healthcare resources, lead to more hospitalizations, and potentially more deaths.

How much more contagious is the Delta variant of COVID-19?

• The Delta variant is more contagious: The Delta variant is highly contagious, more than 2x as contagious as previous variants.

What are some symptoms of the COVID-19 Delta variant in vaccinated individuals?

Typically, vaccinated people are either asymptomatic or have very mild symptoms if they contract the Delta variant. Their symptoms are more like those of a common cold, such as cough, fever or headache, with the addition of significant loss of smell.

What are some of the serious side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine?

Rare serious adverse events have been reported after COVID-19 vaccination, including Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) after Janssen COVID-19 vaccination and myocarditis after mRNA (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) COVID-19 vaccination.

Are you at risk of experiencing an autoimmune disease flare-up from COVID-19 vaccine?

There is a risk that flare-ups may occur. That being said, it has been observed that people living with autoimmune and inflammatory conditions are at higher risk of experiencing severe symptoms from a COVID-19 infection.

Do the new COVID-19 variants spread more easily?

These variants seem to spread more easily and quickly than the dominant strain, and they also may cause more severe illness, but more research is needed to make a determination.

Is the COVID-19 Epsilon variant more infectious?

The Epsilon variant is gaining a higher profile as cases of COVID-19 spike among the unvaccinated, driven in part by the widely spread Delta variant.

In the lab, the Epsilon version proved to be more infectious than previous variants, and researchers have discovered three changes in its spike proteins.

How can you prevent the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19?

Given what we know about the Delta variant, vaccine effectiveness, and current vaccine coverage, layered prevention strategies, such as wearing masks, are needed to reduce the transmission of this variant

What is a COVID-19 variant of interest?

A variant with specific genetic markers that have been associated with changes to receptor binding, reduced neutralization by antibodies generated against previous infection or vaccination, reduced efficacy of treatments, potential diagnostic impact, or predicted increase in transmissibility or disease severity.

What does variant of high consequences mean for COVID-19?

A variant of high consequence has clear evidence that prevention measures or medical countermeasures (MCMs) have significantly reduced effectiveness relative to previously circulating variants.

What is the difference between a variant and a lineage for COVID-19?

Viruses like SARS-CoV-2 continuously evolve as mistakes (genetic mutations) occur during replication of the genome. A lineage is a genetically closely related group of virus variants derived from a common ancestor. A variant has one or more mutations that differentiate it from other variants of the SARS-CoV-2 viruses.

When did COVID-19 Delta variant become the leading variant in Arkansas?

Delta did not become the leading variant in Arkansas until the first week in July 2021.

Which groups of people are at increased risks of severe illness from COVID-19?

Among adults, the risk for severe illness from COVID-19 increases with age, with older adults at highest risk. Severe illness means that the person with COVID-19 may require hospitalization, intensive care, or a ventilator to help them breathe, or they may even die. People of any age with certain underlying medical conditions are also at increased risk for severe illness from SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Who is most vulnerable to get severely ill from COVID-19?

The risk increases for people in their 50s and increases in 60s, 70s, and 80s. People 85 and older are the most likely to get very sick.

Other factors can also make you more likely to get severely ill with COVID-19, such as having certain underlying medical conditions.

Which Brazilian variant of COVID-19 is more transmissible?

A recent study conducted by investigators from Brazil, the United Kingdom and the University of Copenhagen has found that the COVID-19 variant P. 1, which originated in Brazil, is more transmissible than the original virus and is able to evade immunity. Results from the study were published in the journal Science.

What is the dominant COVID-19 variant in Colorado?

The CDC says Colorado is among the states with the highest proportion of the highly contagious delta variant.

What is the predominant strain of COVID-19 in the U.S.?

The highly transmissible B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant of SARS-CoV-2 has become the predominant circulating U.S. strain.

How does COVID-19 mainly spread?

Spread of COVID-19 occurs via airborne particles and droplets. People who are infected with COVID can release particles and droplets of respiratory fluids that contain the SARS CoV-2 virus into the air when they exhale (e.g., quiet breathing, speaking, singing, exercise, coughing, sneezing).

Can I still have sex during the coronavirus pandemic?

If both of you are healthy and feeling well, are practicing social distancing and have had no known exposure to anyone with COVID-19, touching, hugging, kissing, and sex are more likely to be safe.

Which types of settings does COVID-19 spread more easily?

The “Three C's” are a useful way to think about this. They describe settings where transmission of the COVID-19 virus spreads more easily:

• Crowded places;
• Close-contact settings, especially where people have conversations very near each other;
• Confined and enclosed spaces with poor ventilation.

Should you get the Covid vaccine if you have an autoimmune disease?

The American College of Rheumatology COVID-19 Vaccine Clinical Guidance recommends that people with autoimmune and inflammatory rheumatic disease (which includes lupus) get the vaccine unless they have an allergy to an ingredient in the vaccine.

Can COVID-19 cause an autoimmune disease?

Widespread and long-term inflammation during severe COVID-19 may cause the immune system to produce antibodies to pieces of the virus it wouldn't normally recognize. Some of those pieces might resemble human proteins enough to trigger the production of autoantibodies.

What are some of the common side effects of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine booster shots?

Fatigue and pain at the injection site were the most commonly reported side effects, and overall, most side effects were mild to moderate. However, as with the 2-shot primary series, serious side effects are rare, but may occur.