THE Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 is now a serious global concern. The spate of scientific reports on Delta variant surfacing over the last few weeks showing those fully vaccinated against Covid-19 are no better off, or even disadvantaged, is cause for policymakers to rethink.

This flurry of new scientific information challenges the presumption of efficacy and demolishes the vaccines’ claims that they are a guard against severe infection.  

Like in many parts of the world, the Delta is now the dominant variant in Malaysia. It is highly infectious and virulent.

The Health Ministry has randomly sequenced 265 Covid-19 samples from August 16-29 in various parts of the country, all of which turned out to be of the Delta variant.

Health Ministry data since August 12 have shown a rising infection rate among the fully vaccinated (14 days after the second dose), from 12.5% to 33.7% on September 5 (see table 1 below).

Infection breakthroughs are a paradox that policymakers have difficulty rationalising.

From August 12 to September 4 there has been a consistent number of fully vaccinated cases admitted into the intensive care units for categories 4 and 5 infection. Cases average 33.9 a day, demolishing the claim that vaccines can prevent severity of Covid-19 infection, a claim that is based on the relative risk reduction in the vaccines’ original clinical trials.

The single-digit difference among the 20,000-odd subjects, if calculated via absolute risk reduction, is insignificant. Furthermore, the claim is linked to the original coronavirus strain and not the mutated Delta variant.    

Besides not being protected against severe Covid-19, the fully vaccinated are more prone to infection and carry much higher viral loads than the unvaccinated.

Recent published studies on SARS-CoV-2 and the Delta variant all pointed to breakthrough infection in Israel (Gazit et al, 2021); Britain (Technical Briefing 20 on SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, August 6, 2021); Japan (Liu et al, 2021); and Vietnam (Chau et al, 2021) 

Infection breakthrough, also known as vaccine escape, is now self-evident. Swedish virologist Dr Geert Vanden Bossche first spoke on vaccine escape and cautioned against introducing vaccination in the middle of a pandemic.

Establishment scientists who pooh-poohed Bossche’s idea have now humble pie to eat.

Of the four recent studies, the findings of Gazit et al and Chau et al are most incriminating to the diminished usefulness of the Covid vaccines against the Delta variant.

Gazit and colleagues concluded that the vaccinated had 13.06 times increased risk for breakthrough infection with the Delta variant compared to those previously infected, who were 5.96 times at increased risk for breakthrough infection, and 7.13 times increased risk for symptomatic disease.

Chau and colleagues in the Oxford-Vietnam study concluded that breakthrough Delta variant infections of the vaccinated had 251 times higher viral loads compared to those infected with the old strain before the vaccine was administered. Infected vaccinated cases also took longer to become PCR negative and had lower levels of vaccine induced-neutralising antibodies compared to the uninfected.  

With regard to immunity, the Gazit et al study found that “natural immunity confers longer lasting and stronger protection against infection, symptomatic disease and hospitalisation caused by the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2, compared to the BNT162b2 two-dose vaccine-induced immunity”.

Earlier studies conducted in Israel and more than a dozen other studies comparing mRNA vaccine-induced antibodies and antibodies developed through natural infection have shown natural immunity to be far superior. As such, relying on the vaccines as the sole strategy to attain herd immunity is a fallacy that has no scientific basis. 

There is now clear evidence that the vaccines may not be as effective as presumed.

Countries that are highly vaccinated are also reporting the most deaths per million (ourworldindata.org). Israel, one of the highest vaccinated nations, is an interesting case study. Despite having inoculated 63% of its 9.3 million population, it has the world’s fastest surging infection rate with a daily average of 6,225 cases in August, and the world’s highest cases per million with 1,115 cases per million on September 2. The fully vaccinated are now also infected.

Meanwhile the push for universal vaccination continues. There is no doubt that vaccines have their benefits, especially the attenuated virus protein version developed using the old technology.

Our health officials must carefully weigh the risks over benefits, monitor medium and long-term adverse reactions, and avoid corporate interest-driven decisions.

They must not rely only on reports channelled through establishment healthcare agencies but be open to fringe reports and alternative views. Above all, draw lessons from the Israeli conundrum.

The entire armament repertory must be employed to fight this Delta variant and the Covid war.

Unite the people, including those with dissenting views. It is not too late to incorporate ivermectin as an additional weapon. – September 7, 2021.

* Captain Dr Wong Ang Peng is a researcher with an interest in economics, politics, and health issues. He has a burning desire to do anything within his means to promote national harmony. Captain Wong is also a member of the National Patriots Association.