‘YOU STILL NEED TO KEEP YOURSELF SAFE’
The Delta variant of Covid is rising sharply, as we went to press 375000 children were off school (the highest rate since March) and just last week TV presenter Andrew Marr, 61, revealed he had contracted a nasty bout of the virus despite having had two jabs. So, just how worried should we be as Freedom Day approaches on 19 July? Dr C answers your questions
HOW PROTECTED AM I AFTER TWO JABS?
You may have read that people have lost their lives to Covid despite having both vaccinations. A recent headline said that 29 per cent of 42 people who died after catching the
Delta variant had received both inoculations. That sounds like a lot, but it’s just 12 people out of 33 million who have had two doses. We also don’t know anything about the circumstances of these people, such as how old they were or whether they had underlying health conditions. They may have been elderly or had compromised immune systems which made them more susceptible to the virus. It’s possible they may even have caught it a day or two before their second jab, because we don’t test people before their vaccinations. It doesn’t mean it isn’t working. The jabs are not
100 per cent effective either and they don’t necessarily stop you from getting it, but should reduce the severity of the disease. So, we still need to adhere to the rules to stay safe. But it is important to remember the vaccinations have already prevented more than 7.2 million infections and 27,000 deaths in the UK.
AM I AT RISK IF I GO BACK TO THE OFFICE?
There’s a lot of pressure to go “back to normal”, and many people may be worried about returning to work. If you feel concerned about how safe it is, raise your concerns with your manager. If you’re clinically vulnerable, I would stay working from home, if possible. You can wear a mask, use hand sanitiser and keep your distance from colleagues, but if you feel the workplace itself is unsafe – because for instance it isn’t well ventilated – raise that.
HOW IS DELTA DIFFERENT?
A really good way to think about this variant is like cigarette smoke, so after someone has had a cigarette and left the room, the smoke lingers long after. It’s the same with virus particles. Similarly, if you smoke, you open all the windows to let it out – it should be the same with
Covid. Open windows on the train, the bus, in the car and in cafes, restaurants and pubs. An Australian study found that two people passed the virus between themselves simply by walking past each other in an unventilated shopping centre, so it can hang in the air.
WHY AREN’T VACCINES STOPPING VARIANTS?
We’re doing well, but millions have still only received one dose. Partial vaccination could lead to more mutations, because the longer the virus is in circulation, the more chance it has to mutate, and these strains are getting stronger. That’s why people who have only been partially vaccinated need to be very careful – not because they’re extremely vulnerable, but because if the virus keeps spreading, it can keep adapting. People may think they can relax, not wear their mask on the train and forget to take their hand gel with them, but we need to get out of that mentality. “Freedom Day” was extended by a month to bring forward second jabs and make them available for all over-18s. That’s good, but recently there have been protests and big crowds at sporting events such as the Euros, which is a worry when you have a very contagious virus circulating. I would like people to make personal decisions to keep themselves safe, sticking to social distancing, wearing masks, hand washing, opening windows and keeping to the rule of six indoors.
IS ASTRAZENECA EFFECTIVE?
People worry this vaccine doesn’t work as well as others – but it’s 92 per cent effective against hospitalisation due to the Delta variant. Silly stories also spread the seed of doubt. Singer Bruce Springsteen said fans needed to prove they’d had US-approved vaccines to go to his concerts, which didn’t include AstraZeneca, but he then changed the decision, so anyone fully vaccinated with any WHO [World Health Organisation]
approved vaccine – which includes the AstraZeneca one – could go. It’s important to be careful what you believe and not sensationalise non-information. These myths are damaging.
WHY ARE MY SIDE EFFECTS SO BAD?
All vaccines cause a reaction, and there’s nothing wrong with that. They are designed to cause an immune response, and that tends to make you feel ill.
Also, if you feel dizzy or have a mild headache, for example, remember there is a psychosomatic element, so if you go in nervous and expecting to feel unwell, you’ll be looking out for reactions.
WHAT ABOUT CHILDREN?
The Delta variant is spreading in schools, so children are getting it and infecting others. If we want to get properly on top of it, my view is that we should vaccinate them, as jabs have been approved as safe for over-12s. By 19 July, it’s hoped that everyone aged over 40 – and the clinically extremely vulnerable – will have been offered their second jab, and all other adults will have had at least one, so hopefully we’ll be much safer by the time schools go back in September. Until then, keep up with hand washing and social distancing.
WILL THERE BE ANOTHER BIG WAVE?
This virulent strain is whizzing about, yet we’re relaxing things. To avoid another wave, we need to keep up with “hands, face, space” and get plenty of fresh air until every adult’s had two doses.