What We Know About Covid Vaccines and Delta

Fully vaccinated people aren’t likely to get super sick from delta, but they can probably get mildly sick and pass it on to others

Tara Haelle
Elemental

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Photo: Ivan Diaz/Unsplash

The past two weeks have felt confusing, frustrating, and sudden for many people. As Covid-19 infection rates declined more and more throughout the summer, things started to feel a bit more normal-ish for many people.

Some felt like the pandemic was finally ending despite public health experts warning that it wasn’t and that another wave would arrive by fall. And then — BAM! — seemingly out of nowhere, the delta variant hit hard and fast. It’s now responsible for 83% of all infections in the U.S.

Now, just as families and schools are preparing for the upcoming school year, people are scrambling for answers, starting with the biggest one: How effective are Covid-19 vaccines against the delta variant? People who have been vaccinated and had begun feeling comfortable going maskless to stores, restaurants, and other places are now less certain about how protected they are. So let’s review the data we have so far.

Key takeaways

  • The mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) are extremely effective at preventing severe disease and hospitalization from the delta…

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Tara Haelle
Elemental

Tara Haelle is a science journalist, public speaker, and author of Vaccination Investigation and The Informed Parent. Follow her at @tarahaelle.