Arm Yourself, AUC, with Knowledge

By: Hanya Captan
@HanyaCaptan

There’s a saying in the English language which goes to the heart of what we try and do at The Caravan: Forewarned is forearmed. This has traveled through the ages from Latin but at its core it means that having knowledge about something ahead of time allows one to prepare for eventualities.

A Caravan survey of about 80 students conducted last week found that only 61% had any knowledge of the Coronavirus Delta variant, which has medical authorities around the world sounding the alarm.

Of that 61%, 43% say they are not concerned about the Delta variant.

That’s a very disturbing statistic. That two in every five students have not heard of the Delta variant is concerning enough, but that one in five are not bothered by it is dangerously alarming.

The Delta variant is at least twice as contagious as previous strains of the coronavirus, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says. The CDC has labeled it a “variant of concern”.

Yale University Medicine says that while the Delta variant quickly infects those who have not been vaccinated, “data also has shown the variant to have increased transmissibility even among some vaccinated people”.

While vaccinaton significantly reduces the risk of getting corona and spreading it, it does not make you immune.

Even if you are vaccinated, you can get COVID-19 in all the myriad variants if you’re not careful. These are called breakthrough infections. And what’s worse, vaccinated people who do get the coronavirus can spread it to others.

Think about the vulnerable and immunocompromised (those with weak immune systems due to other chronic illnesses such as high blood pressure, diabetes, various cancers and even asthma) among your families and friends. You might bounce back from corona, but when you give it to others …

“This means that even though the risk of breakthrough infections is low, there will be thousands of fully vaccinated people who become infected and able to infect others, especially with the surging spread of the Delta variant,” the CDC says.

The bottom line is that we are not out of the woods yet. Not by a long shot; continuing to wear masks indoors and sometimes outdoors, as well as maintaining distance are necessary measures.

Arm yourselves with knowledge, AUC. Here’s a good place to start: https://www.aucegypt.edu/coronavirus.