9 things you should know about variants, boosters and more, according to experts

Dr. Trish Perl-DeLisle, director of the infectious diseases division at UT Southwestern Medical Center, says the pandemic is worsening in north Texas.(The Dallas Morning News)

On Thursday, Dallas Morning News science reporter Anna Kuchment spoke to two experts for the latest on the COVID-19 pandemic in North Texas. Here are some of the key points from her conversation with Dr. Trish Perl-DeLisle, director of the infectious diseases division at UT Southwestern Medical Center; and Erin Carlson, an adjunct clinical professor at UT-Arlington College of Nursing and Health Innovation with a PhD in health care.

The pandemic is worsening in Dallas-Fort Worth. All of the metrics suggest that the effects of the virus in north Texas will worsen as the highly contagious Delta variant spreads, Perl says. Hospital stays and intensive care stays are increasing, as is the percentage of positive tests. Perl says the number of young people being admitted to hospitals has increased dramatically – both adults under 49 and children.

The summit can be close. According to Perl, the Delta variant behaved very differently than previous variants, so we don’t have a lot of clear data and largely rely on information from other countries. But with that caveat, it looks like we might see a peak locally in September, with a sharp rise in cases followed by a sharp fall. We don’t know how other respiratory diseases like the flu could make this difficult.

Are vaccines against the Delta variant effective? “Delta has changed everything in some ways,” says Carlson. She says vaccines are still highly effective, but not as effective against the Delta variant. Vaccinated people can spread the virus, albeit for a shorter period of time than unvaccinated people. So, one way to prevent the virus from spreading to people who cannot be vaccinated, including children under the age of 12, is to wear a mask. “We’re back to masking ourselves for anything indoor in public,” says Carlson.

This is largely an unvaccinated pandemic. “I would say about 90 percent of what is allowed [to hospitals] is not vaccinated, ”says Perl. “They are young people. … It’s really heartbreaking. ”Perl notes that hospitals are seeing some elderly patients, but not in the large numbers they saw at the start of the pandemic.

Erin Carlson, associate clinical professor at UT-Arlington’s College of Nursing and Health Innovation, says it’s important to wear a well-fitting mask.(The Dallas Morning News)

What should people do when they fly on an airplane? Carlson says it is important to make sure that your mask fits completely around your face with no gaps. She says it’s also important to get a mask with a nasal wire that will help seal the mask around your face. And make sure your mask is the right size for your face. Some people, especially women and children, may need to use smaller masks. If you have a cloth mask, says Carlson, make sure it has a pocket for a filter. Carlson says she travels with disinfectant wipes and wipes everything on the plane – the tray, seat handles, luggage handles, and most importantly, her phone. “Honestly, I do a lot of these things during the flu season before we had COVID,” says Carlson.

What is the government recommending now for booster injections? “This is a difficult area right now,” says Perl, noting that not all of the data has been reviewed as thoroughly as she would like, but there is evidence that vaccinees’ immunity is weakening over time. She says the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has recommended booster vaccinations for immunocompromised people with certain medical conditions, such as: She notes that there is a list of such conditions on the CDC website. She says a recommendation for nursing homes and similar institutions could come soon. “I think we’ll just have to wait and see what the CDC says,” says Perl. Perl says that if you get a booster shot, it’s best to stick with the same vaccine manufacturer as your original vaccinations.

The call for booster vaccinations does not mean that the vaccines are unsuccessful. Carlson states that the goal of vaccines is to keep us alive and prevent serious illness, and that stopping transmission completely is not the goal. She says vaccines work very well at keeping people alive and out of the hospital. Carlson also says that so-called “breakthrough cases” don’t mean the vaccine isn’t working. The more people vaccinated, she says, the greater the proportion of breakthrough cases among unvaccinated people, simply because more people are vaccinated. Carlson notes that many vaccines for other diseases are given in a row with boosters, including the vaccine for tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough.

The number of COVID-19 deaths among children has been low, but it is important to take steps to prevent infecting children. “Really public health is public health, which means that it’s about the community around us,” says Carlson, noting that asymptomatic children can transmit the virus and potentially infect their grandparents or other people at risk. “The only way we can get back to normal everyday life for everyone is if we are aware of how our actions affect others,” says Carlson. Perl points out that meeting places like schools can be major causes of epidemics and pandemics. “We think about everything right down to the transmission chain,” says Carlson. “Even when children are asymptomatic, they are still in the chain of transmission.” Carlson notes that every time the virus is transmitted, it can lead to new variants. “We have to stop the transmission in any form if we want to prevent the formation of new variants,” she says.

Vaccines are widely used. Carlson finds that 90 percent of Americans have a vaccination site within five miles of their home. “We all have access,” she says, noting that many people around the world are not getting the vaccine they want so badly. Perl agrees, saying that everyone should get vaccinated and wear masks in public until the pandemic is under control. “These are little things that we all ask for as a community so that we can get back to doing the things we love to do,” says Perl.

STATEMENT Aug 19, 2021 at 9:34 p.m. This story has been updated to clarify that vaccinated people can spread the virus, but for a shorter period of time than unvaccinated people. And wearing a mask is just one of the ways to prevent the virus from being passed on to people who cannot be vaccinated, including children under the age of 12. You can also use social distancing and quarantine.

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