Do Delta ‘Breakthroughs’ Really Mean Vaccine Protection Is Waning, And Are Boosters the Answer?

August 23, 2021

(Science) – As vaccines rolled out early this year, the pandemic coronavirus seemed to almost magically melt away in some countries. But now, as Delta infections surge in highly vaccinated countries that once seemed to have COVID-19 on the run, including Israel and the United Kingdom, many fully vaccinated people are wondering how protected they really are. Although most data still show the vaccines are very effective at preventing severe disease and death, the initial hopes that they could also squelch transmission and completely prevent “breakthrough” infections in vaccinated people have evaporated. What is uncertain is how much the trends reflect a possible decline in vaccine-induced immunity versus the extraordinarily infectious nature of the Delta variant, and whether widespread use of boosters is now warranted. (Read Full Article)