The delta variant 'is two times more transmissible than the original coronavirus': Doctor

Kristen Choi, PhD, MS, RN, Assistant Professor, UCLA School of Nursing, joined Yahoo Finance Live to break down how transmissable the delta variant of COVID is and the long term impact of this.

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SEANA SMITH: We want to continue this conversation [INAUDIBLE] go to the Delta variant. For that, we want to bring in Kristen Choi, assistant professor at UCLA's School of Nursing.

And Kristen, I guess that statistic that we led off with, when it comes from the warning from the CDC today, and I'm scrolling up just to see it, 83% of all sequenced COVID-19 cases right now in the US are from the Delta variant. I guess, what can be done, or what do we need to do in order to better stop the spread of the Delta variant at this point?

KRISTEN CHOI: Yeah, the Delta variant has definitely emerged as the dominant coronavirus strain here in the United States. And it's a concern because we know that this variant is two times more transmissible than the original coronavirus that we saw in the US last winter.

The good news is that we do have some pretty good protection against the Delta variant from our vaccines. So far they have all held up very well against the variants. They're a bit less effective against the variant than the original coronavirus strain. But nevertheless, they appear to be very effective at preventing hospitalizations and deaths. And so far, almost all of the hospitalizations and deaths that we're seeing, upwards of 99% of those cases are among the unvaccinated.

And so despite this variant, the way it's changed, that it's more transmissible, vaccines are still our number one line of defense. And it's going to be critical that we keep making progress on getting adults and kids vaccinated here in the US.

ADAM SHAPIRO: Doctor, welcome back. This question comes out of an Op Ed that was in the Washington Post today. Why is it so difficult to get data that shows you don't have a vaccine, [INAUDIBLE] chances of dying, you do have a vaccine, your chances of not dying. I'm talking about the daily numbers. It's as if we have 50 different entities reporting from state to state and nothing aggregated to make this very simply clear to understand.

KRISTEN CHOI: You know, I think the data are pretty clear at this point. I think we do have a lot of the data we need to show that these vaccines are effective and lifesaving.

When it comes to the unvaccinated, in my own research that I've done on people who have refused the coronavirus vaccine, it's often not so much a case that people haven't seen the data or aren't aware of the data, it's much more a question of people's personal fears and personal beliefs that tend to get in the way more so than a lack of data. Certainly, though, we do have data that vaccines, they're safe, they're effective and, again, the main tool that we need to be thinking about in terms of stopping Delta.

I will say, though, with the Delta variant, even though the uptick in cases is a major concern, I don't expect that we will see hospitalizations and deaths the way that we did last winter. Because even though we have a ways to go, having half of our population vaccinated is really great progress. And so for that group, half of our population, that's a pretty substantial number that is going to be protected here and that we would not expect to see hospitalized or dying from this variant.

SEANA SMITH: One of the results of the rise of the Delta variant, we just heard that Apple is pushing back its return to the office because of the rise that we're seeing in the number of cases. I'm curious just to get your perspective on this. Do you think more companies should be doing this, delaying the return to the office because of the numbers that we're currently seeing?

KRISTEN CHOI: Sure. You know, I think the work from home and returning to office question is twofold. One of is a question of health. But I think the bigger question is a question of employee preferences and what type of work makes sense for people in their current world.

I think for some companies, it may make sense. Certainly any ways that we can reduce gatherings is going to be probably a good thing, given the way Delta is spreading. But probably the more important tool companies can think about is requiring vaccinations for their employees who don't have health related reasons not to get one. Making sure that everyone is vaccinated is probably a better way to think about protection at this point, because, again, among all the tools that we have to stop the coronavirus, the vaccine is by far the best one.

ADAM SHAPIRO: Doctor, I was curious if what we saw at the worst of this, we know that medical staff was really just stretched to the limits. With the rises we're seeing now, what you said earlier about, we won't get where we had been with the death rates and hospitalizations, does that mean the load on medical workers is lighter? Or is it just as bad, with all these people going to hospital?

KRISTEN CHOI: Yes. Absolutely. You know, in terms of overall numbers and hospitals, we are not in a situation currently, in most places, where our hospitals and ICUs are overwhelmed. That being said, the distribution of vaccines is very unequal across the US. In some states and counties, we know that in a lot of rural areas, more Republican areas, vaccination is a bit lower. And so in those places where there is less vaccination, it is possible that those hospitals could become more overwhelmed.

But again, I think it's unlikely. Even though our overall vaccination rate is around 50%, it's much higher among the elderly. It's more like 70% to 80% for that group. And so hospitalizations will happen, but I think it's unlikely that we will be in a state where overall in the US our hospitals are overwhelmed.

SEANA SMITH: Kristen Choi, assistant professor of UCLA's School of Nursing, always great to speak with you. Thanks so much for making the time to join us.