Even as healthcare professionals worldwide administer the first wave of COVID-19 vaccines in hopes of ending the global pandemic, the increase in virus variants is emphasizing the need for faster delivery of the vaccine, said Dr. Ashish Jha.
The mutations formed new variants from the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil. All were found in the United States.
“Variants arise when infections run wild and selection pressures lead to dangerous mutations that can then thrive,” wrote Jha, dean of Brown University School of Public Health in a Twitter topic Thursday night.
“Each of these countries had major outbreaks before their variants even took off,” he added in a subsequent tweet. “So what are the implications if we ever want to end this pandemic? We have to bring the pandemic under control everywhere. “
According to Jha, in order to suppress virus epidemics, authorities need to implement virus control policies, expand testing, get people to wear high-quality masks and “vaccinate the world, now, as soon as possible”.
Jha called for an effort to manufacture vaccines worldwide to accelerate the rate of dose production.
“In a future where (the) US is vaccinated, but others are not, we could see (o) an increase in variants that can infect, cause outbreaks here and elsewhere vaccinated – requiring us to update our vaccines and vaccinate them all again,” he I wrote. “It is the nightmare scenario of an endless pandemic.”
Read the full topic below:
So, let’s talk about where the variants come from and under what circumstances
Variants arise when infections occur
And selection pressures lead to dangerous mutations that can thrive
Remember that every infection creates opportunities for “mistakes” – or mutations
2/6
– Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH (@ashishkjha) January 29, 2021
UK, South Africa, Brazil – and possibly USA (LA variant is still being evaluated)
Each of these countries had major outbreaks, even before their variants took off
So what are the implications if we ever want to end this pandemic?
We have to control the pandemic everywhere
4/7
– Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH (@ashishkjha) January 29, 2021
In a future where the US will be vaccinated, but others will not
We can see an increase in variants that can infect, cause outbreaks here and elsewhere vaccinated
Requiring us to update our vaccines and vaccinate everyone again
It is the nightmare scenario of an endless pandemic
6/7
– Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH (@ashishkjha) January 29, 2021
This is what makes defenders of collective immunity (remember the Great Barrington Declaration?) So naive
They literally argued that the virus was more likely to mutate
And what makes US isolationist policies so naive
Because we live on a planet
And variant trips
8/9
– Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH (@ashishkjha) January 29, 2021
Want to end the pandemic?
Allows you to organize the global manufacturing effort to make many vaccines quickly
And vaccinate everyone
Because large outbreaks anywhere can give rise to variants that can escape vaccines everywhere
At the end of the day, we’re really in this together
Fin
– Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH (@ashishkjha) January 29, 2021
Receive email alerts from Boston.com:
Subscribe and receive breaking news and updates on coronavirus, from our newsroom to your inbox