Even as health care workers the world over are administering the first wave of COVID-19 vaccines in hopes of bringing an end to the global pandemic, the rise of virus variants are underscoring the need for a faster vaccine rollout, Dr. Ashish Jha says.
Mutations have formed new variants originating in the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brazil. All have been reportedly found in the United States.
“Variants arise when infections run wild, and selection pressures lead to dangerous mutations that can then thrive,” Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, wrote in a Twitter thread Thursday night.
“Each of these countries had large outbreaks even before their variants 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 squash virus outbreaks, officials need to put in place virus control policies, expand testing, have people wear high-quality masks, and “vaccinate the world, now, as quickly as possible.”
Jha called for marshaling a vaccine manufacturing effort the world over to speed up the rate of producing doses.
“In a future where (the) US is vaccinated but others are not, we could see (the) rise of variants that can infect, cause outbreaks here and other vaccinated places — requiring us to update our vaccines and vaccinate everyone again,” he wrote. “It’s the nightmare scenario of a never-ending pandemic.”
Read the full thread below:
So let’s talk about where variants ARE coming from and under what circumstances
Variants arise when infections run wild
And selection pressures lead to dangerous mutations that can then thrive
Remember, every infection creates opportunities for “errors” – or mutations
2/6
— Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH (@ashishkjha) January 29, 2021
UK, South Africa, Brazil –and possibly US (LA variant still being sorted out)
Each of these countries had large outbreaks even before their variants took off
So what are implications if we ever want to end this pandemic?
We have to bring pandemic under control everywhere
4/7
— Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH (@ashishkjha) January 29, 2021
In a future where US is vaccinated but others are not
We could see rise of variants that can infect, cause outbreaks here and other vaccinated places
Requiring us to update our vaccines and vaccinate everyone again
It’s the nightmare scenario of a never-ending pandemic
6/7
— Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH (@ashishkjha) January 29, 2021
This is what makes herd immunity advocates (remember Great Barrington Declaration?) so naive
They literally advocated for virus to have more chances to mutate
And what makes U.S. isolationist policies so naive
Because we live on one planet
And variants travel
8/9
— Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH (@ashishkjha) January 29, 2021
Want to end the pandemic?
Lets marshal global manufacturing effort to make lots of vaccine 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 really are in this together
Fin
— Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH (@ashishkjha) January 29, 2021
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