Media sounds alarm on Delta variant despite largely effective COVID vaccines

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Media top headlines July 1

Reaction to Bill Cosby's sudden release from prison, Nikole Hannah-Jones getting tenure granted by the UNC board, and liberals rejoicing over Donald Rumsfeld's death round out today's top media headlines

Members of the media are sounding the alarm on the Delta variant of the coronavirus that has been surging in recent weeks.

MSNBC anchor Chuck Todd informed viewers of "breaking coronavirus news" as the country is "moving in the wrong direction" in combatting the pandemic, citing CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky who announced on Thursday that there's been a "10 percent increase" in cases and that "25 percent" of those are from the more contagious Delta variant.

"Folks, nearly 10,000 people died in the month of June. They were needless deaths," Todd sternly said. "If you know someone who's not vaccinated, find a way to convince them to get vaccinated. Literally, the only people dying are the unvaccinated." 

HOW DOES THE DELTA VARIANT DIFFER FROM ORIGINAL STRAIN? 

Todd continued his screed and accused others of spreading "misinformation." 

"And for those of you spreading misinformation, shame on you. Shame on you!" Todd exclaimed as he pointed to the camera. "People are needlessly dying because of your misinformation! Think about it. I don’t know how some of you sleep at night who are doing this for a living on television."

Dr. Peter Hotez, a pediatrician and vaccine scientist who's made countless cable news appearances during the pandemic, warned CNN viewers that the Delta variant "is like nothing we’ve seen before."

"This is twice as infectious as anything we’ve seen before, so if you are not vaccinated or you are only partially vaccinated, there's a high likelihood that you will become infected with this Delta variant over the next few weeks or over the summer," Hotez said. "It's not too late. Now is the time to get vaccinated. And if you’re a young adult or adolescent, don’t listen to the anti-vaccine nonsense that says if you go to the gym & eat a healthy diet, that’s good enough. It's not. It's not the same as the virus neutralizing the antibodies from the vaccine."

The Washington Post editorial board declared that the Delta variant is "bringing back the dark clouds of last year."

"THE DELTA variant is raining on our parade. Just when many people want to celebrate a return to normalcy, confident of vaccine protection, the delta variant is bringing back the dark clouds of last year," the Tuesday editorial began. "In the United States, face masks and social distancing are being recommended anew, while around the world, lockdowns and travel bans are back in the fight against this highly-transmissible variant, a particular threat to the unvaccinated and a reminder that covid-19 will indeed be a long haul."

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While the Post acknowledged the "good news" that COVID vaccines are widely effective against the variant, it stressed that "even those who have received a full vaccine dose are more and more often hearing advice to resume taking precautions."

"What delta means is that the battle against the coronavirus will be ongoing for some time, possibly years. We have to be flexible and determined, using all the tools available," the editorial board said. "Most obviously, when we have a tool that works and a vaccine, why would we not take full advantage?"