Russian virologist tells all about the Delta strain and vaccination

Virologist Netesov, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, named an important condition for the formation of immunity to the “delta” strain and spoke about its features.

Sergei Netesov, head of the laboratory of bionanotechnology, microbiology and virology at NSU, called the condition for the formation of collective immunity to the “delta” strain and compared the mortality rate from coronavirus among those vaccinated and unvaccinated, Izvestia reports.

The virologist is convinced that vaccination of 80% of Russians will provide collective immunity to the “delta”. And this must be done as soon as possible, otherwise the virus will evolve faster than the vaccine. Earlier Areg Totolyan, director of the St. Petersburg Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology named after Pasteur, announced 60% vaccination in Russia and urged to bring this figure to 90%.

Netesov draws attention to the fact that many people are afraid of the side effects or consequences of vaccination in the future. However, among the unvaccinated and infected with the coronavirus, the death rate is 4%. In this case, the indicator increases 2-3 times if the infected person is the owner of severe concomitant diseases. In 90% of cases, these are people over 60 years old.

Unlike last year, in 2021, citizens began to use masks less often, as a result, the disease progresses more severely, since the damaging proportion of the pathogen in the body has increased. According to the lethality of the current coronavirus, experts compare, for example, with diphtheria. Some people have features of immunity or serious ailments, and this becomes, most often, the cause of the death of the coronavirus.

Netesov spoke about the peculiarities of the “delta” variant, which forms a larger number of viral particles in the body, against which the infectious dose, transmitted from the infected to the environment, also grows. The new strain of coronavirus is increasingly affecting young people.

The scientist notes a change in the proportion of symptoms with the new Delta variant. Fewer and fewer patients complain of disturbances in taste and smell, and symptoms of gastrointestinal tract damage are more and more common. According to Netesov, this was due to a change in the structure of the S-protein receptor-binding domain and interaction with cells in the virus.

Sergei Netesov stresses his full commitment to vaccination. The virologist said that the availability of drug information should be increased. There are two ways to increase the rate of vaccination: a radical increase in the volume of vaccine production and an increase in the desire to be vaccinated among citizens.

Ideally, the scientist believes, the unvaccinated should not be released abroad, since they will bring back viruses picked up abroad. Vaccination should be made a prerequisite for travel outside the country, and all travelers will be forced to come to get vaccinated.

The scientist called for a more thorough study of the evolution of viruses and bacteria in humans, and in animals close to him. He expressed the hope that after the pandemic, mankind will stop taking infections and vaccines lightly, and from the beginning of the SARS season they will use masks or respirators.

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