Are the unvaccinated a threat to the vaccinated?

Monika R, PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore

Vaccines save millions of lives every year because they are one of the most effective ways of immunization against many infectious diseases. They have played a great role in the worldwide eradication of smallpox and the control of other infectious diseases such as measles, rubella, tetanus, and polio. Vaccines against Covid-19 are recognized as the most effective way of immunization and can control this deadly disease. Most of the countries are running against time to vaccinate people against Covid-19. However, many people remain unvaccinated because serious adverse disorders are wrongly attributed to vaccination. Unproven claims about the supposed side effects of some vaccines have contributed to spreading fear among people which has resulted in vaccination refusal. 

Unvaccinated people are not only at higher risk but also a threat for vaccinated people

Vaccines result in immunity for the vaccinated individuals but also reduces the chance of infection for unvaccinated people in most cases. But in the case of Sars-CoV-2, CNN has reported that the unvaccinated individuals not only risk their own lives but are also potential ‘variant factories’ of coronavirus. Dr William Schaffner, a professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases proclaimed that “Unvaccinated people are potential variant factories. More the unvaccinated people, more the opportunities for the virus to mutate and multiply“. 

Variants of coronavirus

SARS-CoV-2 brings a new global threat with every new day by introducing new mutants. The world is facing a race between implementing vaccinations and controlling new infectious variants of coronavirus. After ten months of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the arrival of highly effective vaccines raised global expectations that a return to normal was within reach. As vaccines are rolled out, however, countries across the globe are experiencing the emergence of new, more infectious variants of the coronavirus. 

There are several variants of the coronavirus, but the World Health Organization declared four of them as “variants of concern“. The distinguishing feature of these variants is that they have several mutations in the parts that allow them to attach to human cells, which is a target of antibody therapies and vaccines. 

Variants of concern 

The four variants of concern cause higher risks because they are more transmissible, they can evade immune protection and cause worse disease. 

• Alpha – Initially discovered in the UK.
• Beta – First discovered in South Africa.
• Gamma – Earlier discovered in Brazil.
• Delta – First discovered in India.

These are the four variants of concern, out of which the Delta variant, characterized by B.1.617.2 is now a global presence. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, a WHO director-general, reported to the press that, “Delta variant is continuing to evolve and mutate”.  He has proclaimed so because the Delta variant has mutated to form the Delta plus, characterized by B.1.617.2 variant. This B.1.617.2 variant has further mutated to K417N which has been classified as a “variant of concern” in India. 

These more infectious variants present a significant new challenge. Because of higher infectiousness, new variants strongly increase the risk of large outbreaks, intensifying the need for citizens to engage in protective behaviour. The UN health agency has also warned on 5^th July 2021, briefing that the world is in a “very dangerous period” of this pandemic.

Coronavirus – 3^rd wave

The third wave of coronavirus infection has been predicted to hit us between October-November. Manindra Agarwal, who is working with the mathematical projection of the COVID-19 trajectory (Sutra model) said, “Covid-19 infection can spread faster during the third wave if any new virulent variant of SARS-CoV-2 emerges”. He included that when the Delta variant is taken into consideration, it was found infecting people who contracted a different variant earlier. He has also predicted that if a new mutant emerges, the third wave could spread rapidly, but it will be half of what the second wave was.

To control Covid-19

Since, the current pandemic situation is a race between controlling emerging infectious variants and implementing vaccinations, motivating the public to engage in protective behaviour is crucial. The new mutant strains are presenting a new challenge to the world in the COVID-19 pandemic. People’s vaccination behaviour is often found to not be grounded on well-established scientific knowledge but on a process of spreading the wrong opinions. 

To control Covid-19 spread, knowing the vaccination rates in our community is important. As future mutations may crave for human life, getting vaccinated is not just of key importance now but maybe of sustained importance over the coming years.

Also read: A potential Covid vaccine for Multiple Myeloma Patients

Source: Petersen, M. B., Christiansen, L. E., Bor, A., Lindholt, M. F., Jørgensen, F. J., Adler-Nissen, R., Roepstorff, A., & Lehmann, S. (2021). Communicate hope to motivate action against highly infectious sars-cov-2 variants [Preprint]. PsyArXiv. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/gxcyn

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About the author: Monika Raman is an undergraduate student pursuing her final year B. Tech in Biotechnology. She is an enthusiastic Biotech student aspiring for an opportunity to develop skills and grow professionally in the research field. Extremely motivated and possess strong interpersonal skills.