Covid 19 Variant Updates

COVID-19 Variants and Their Effects With and Without the Vaccine

By Jennifer CoatesBy Julia Romano

Just as COVID-19 cases appeared to have been significantly decreasing across the country and the world, along comes a new variant to take the pandemic off of the back burner.

According to the RI Department of Health (RIDOH), the following provides the meaning and potential problems of COVID-19 variant viruses, highlighting the Delta variant, which is now affecting Rhode Islanders and many others across the nation, as well as globally.

Viruses change all the time—this is normal and expected. These changes can happen when a virus moves from person to person. When a virus changes, the new version is called a variant. There are multiple variants of the virus that causes COVID-19. Scientists and health and medical experts are studying these variants to understand how changes to the virus affect how it spreads and how it infects people.

Variants are found all over the world. The CDC is keeping track of these variants and posts updates to a web page about COVID-19 variants.

Some variants spread more easily and quickly than other variants. This means they can cause more cases of COVID-19, which can lead to more hospitalizations and more deaths. Some variants may also impact our treatments, vaccines, and tests. We call these “variants of concern.”

COVID-19 variants of concern are now dominant in Rhode Island. RIDOH is monitoring these variants and posting data on the COVID-19 Data Tracker.

Data suggest that COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in the United States offer protection against current COVID-19 variants.

All COVID-19 tests can detect all variants, but they will not tell you which variant you have. We can all help prevent these variants from spreading by following basic guidance to protect your household. This helps Rhode Island’s families, businesses, and economy. Continue to wear your mask, watch your distance, follow quarantine and isolation requirements, get tested often, and get vaccinated when it’s available to you.

What We Don’t Know About Variants Scientists are working to learn more about these variants, and more studies are needed to understand:

How widely these variants have spread.

Whether these variants cause milder or more severe disease in people.

How these variants may affect current treatments, vaccines, and tests.

What Rhode Island is Doing

RIDOH State Health Laboratories coordinate the SARSCoV-2 genomic surveillance program in partnership with the CDC and clinical and academic laboratories. This means they are sequencing and analyzing a representative selection of samples of the virus

Vaccine Administration Data Data cumulative started on 12/14/20 As of August 26, 2021

People At Least Partially Vaccinated 745,713 People Fully Vaccinated 680,559 Total Doses Administered 1,381,526

Source RI Department of Health

circulating in the state to identify differences between these samples and the genetic material of the original virus.

Types of Variants

Scientists monitor all variants, but may classify certain ones as variants of interest, concern, or high consequence, based on how easily they spread, how severe their symptoms are, and how they are treated.

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.

Variant of Concern in the US, Including RI Delta - B.1.617.2

First identified: India Spreads much faster than other variants. May cause more severe cases than the other variants.

Vaccine: Infections happen in only a small proportion of people who are fully vaccinated, even with the Delta variant. Some breakthrough infections are expected, but remain rare. However, preliminary evidence suggests that fully vaccinated people who do become infected with the Delta variant can spread the virus to others. All vaccines are particularly effective against severe illness, hospitalization, and death.

Treatments: Certain monoclonal antibody treatments are less effective against this variant.

Back to School

Students and teachers in all Rhode Island schools will be required to wear facemasks during the upcoming school year, regardless of vaccination status, Gov. Daniel McKee announced.

The Governor signed an executive order formalizing the mask mandate in K-12 schools.

“Until we can vaccinate more students, we need masks in schools,” he said with state Education Commissioner Angélica InfanteGreen. “As governor, I will not put student safety at risks.”

McKee also called on Democratic leaders of the state General Assembly to reconvene lawmakers to restore some of the emergency powers granted to the governor during the peak of the pandemic.

Mckee said he will also issue a new executive order declaring a state of emergency in response to the more transmissible delta variant of COVID-19.

Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, the state’s health director added“The public health guidance is clear: to prevent the widespread transmission of COVID-19, both vaccinated and unvaccinated people in schools must be wearing masks.”