Roundup: Hospitalizations Up Among Vaxxed, Delta Cousin on the Move, Permanent Smell Loss
Here are some pandemic stories on my radar today.
Increasing Hospitalizations Among Fully Vaxxed
CDC officials are reporting an increase in the number of fully vaccinated people being admitted to hospitals or going to the emergency room. Fauci said there was a "uptick" that amounted to "a significant proportion, but not the majority by any means.” Unfortunately he didn't give any numbers.
CDC Director Walensky implied that the uptick is mainly in people 65 and older. This is probably a consequence of waning vaccine effectiveness in this age group, which was the first to be jabbed earlier this year. As I noted earlier this week, a published study done in Israel showed that the Pfizer vaccine starts losing effectiveness two months after the second dose.
Delta Cousin a Reason for Concern—Or Maybe Not
News has been circulating for a few weeks about a variation of the Delta variant that is gaining a foothold. Sometimes referred to as "Delta Plus," it has been reported in a number of countries, including the U.S.
Currently the most cases have been recorded in the UK. There is evidence that it is even more contagious than the regular Delta, but also more likely to cause cases with no symptoms.
This may be good news: If it can crowd-out the original Delta because of higher infectiousness but cause fewer severe cases, that could be a good thing. However, experts quoted in the last link say we really don't know enough yet to draw such conclusions.
Smell Loss May Be Permanent for Over a Million Americans
Loss of smell, or anosmia, is a common symptom of COVID-19. Rates differ between studies, but a ballpark number is that 41% of victims develop this symptom.
Estimates are that 90% of these people recover. However, for certain people the disorder is chronic (enduring). A recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association estimates that between 250,000 and 1,500,000 people may suffer permanent loss, and that chances are worse the older you get.
Another reason to be afraid of COVID-19 and get you damn vaccinations and boosters!
