Dr. Amesh Adalja
Adalja is a Pittsburgh-based infectious disease expert and a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.
Question: Why is the delta variant more contagious?
Answer: The delta variant is more contagious because it has certain mutations that enable it to bind more efficiently to our cells, which results in shedding of higher virus amounts and also likely a shorter incubation period, which translates into more transmissibility.
Q: Is this a preview of what’s to come down the road?
A: There are always going to be variants that are generated. Many of them may be innocuous, but certain ones may have an ability to transmit more efficiently. So, we may see more transmissible variants arise. Delta is more transmissible than alpha.
Experts: Here is what to expect as delta variant surges
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Southwestern PA chief medical officers: Please get vaccinated - Pittsburgh Business Times
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Jan 21, 2021
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. David Lopatofsky, chief medical officer, UPMC in the Susquehanna Region, agrees with and supports the following statement shared by his colleagues on the Southwestern PA Regional Chief Medical Officer Consortium.
“While UPMC is encouraged by the public’s eagerness for the vaccine, we simply do not have adequate vaccine supplies or clear notification of when and how much is coming to be able to meet the new, much larger group as discussed (Tuesday) by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
“Our health care sites and systems will need to continue to prioritize those seeking vaccination, identifying the most vulnerable in their area to serve first and to optimize impact during this time of short supply. That means many requests for vaccination will not be met in the next days to weeks, and this is not from a lack of desire.”)