There are three vaccines authorized for emergency use in the U.S., one manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech, one by Moderna, and one by Johnson & Johnson. There is hope that later in the fall, younger children may become eligible for vaccination. So far, children under age 12 are not eligible to receive any vaccine, as studies into the appropriate dose and effectiveness are ongoing. The FDA has signaled that instead of focusing on booster shots, the push should be on getting as many people vaccinated as possible as soon as possible. Instead, the panel recommended that those over age 65 and those who are at risk of more severe disease access a third shot to support ongoing defense against infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. 17, an FDA advisory panel decided against recommending booster shots of the Pfizer vaccine for everyone over age 16 who’d previously been vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine. Recently, public health officials floated the idea of administering booster shots eight months after the initial two-dose course of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine to help prolong and boost immunity. What’s the latest news regarding boosters? Continuing practicing good hand hygiene.Limiting your time indoors with people from other households.Wearing a tightly fitted mask when you’re not in the water.Maintaining at least 6 feet distance from others at all times.Communities with high rates of vaccination are seeing less circulation of variants, as there are fewer chances for the virus to mutate as it jumps from host to host.įor those who can’t be vaccinated, such as people with certain immune disorders and children under age 12 for whom the vaccine has not yet been approved, you can protect yourself from these new variants when you’re swimming by: Still, vaccination is the best protection against the Delta and other variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and it appears that the vaccines are protective against variants of the virus. To date, it’s only responsible for 0.1% of infections in the U.S., but public health experts are monitoring how it moves and how it affects the people it infects.īecause of the rise of these variants, the CDC in July released updated guidance that urged vaccination and recommended that everyone in areas of substantial or high transmission of the virus wear a mask in public indoor places, even if they are fully vaccinated.
The Mu variant is the next variant on the horizon that’s being watched closely. Because of its prevalence, its high transmissibility, and the risk of more severe illness, the Delta variant is a particular threat to communities with lower vaccination rates. Some evidence also suggests that the Delta strain might cause more severe illness in unvaccinated people than other variants. 11, the Delta variant accounts for 99.4% of all COVID-19 infections in the country. The Delta variant has, in short order, become the predominant variant of the virus in the U.S. The Delta variant is dominating the conversation because it’s been found to be more than twice as contagious as previous variants of the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since the coronavirus pandemic began, several strains of the virus have circulated. Because there’s so much virus circulating in the world right now, there are untold trillions of opportunities every day for a stronger, more virulent version of the virus to become the predominant form of the virus in circulation. Viruses mutate, and every time a virus replicates, that’s an opportunity for a genetic mutation to occur.
What’s the latest regarding the Delta variant and Mu variant?
Here’s an updated look at what you need to know about what’s happening and how that might impact your swimming. Recent increases in case counts, hospitalizations, and deaths spurred on by a more virulent mutation of the virus threaten a longer return to normal than first hoped when the vaccines debuted. And around the world, more than 229 million people have been diagnosed with COVID-19.Īlthough three vaccines are available in the U.S., the pandemic grinds on and continues to disrupt life as we once knew it. 20, the COVID-19 pandemic had killed more Americans-about 675,000-than the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-19. It’s been more than 18 months since the coronavirus appeared in the U.S., and it seems the news just keeps getting worse.