Be Aware: With Delta Variant, the Current COVID-19 Vaccines Are Only 66% Effective

The currently available vaccines against COVID-19 have been performing admirably against the virus in general—but there’s a precipitous drop-off in effectiveness when it comes to the Delta variant, according to new data published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Overall effectiveness among the three vaccines had been 91% previously, while it’s only 66% since the Delta variant became the dominant strain in the United States. On the flip side, it’s important to underscore to patients who have been hesitant to get vaccinated that even the lower effectiveness rate still indicates that vaccination is keeping far more people virus-free—and even more importantly, out of overextended hospitals and off ventilators while also saving lives.