The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledged in a leaked slideshow that the Delta variant of the coronavirus is far more transmissible than others, even among vaccinated individuals. The agency is struggling to communicate to the public that vaccinations are still the best defense of the coronavirus, despite the threat of the more contagious Delta variant and the rising number of breakthrough infections. According to a slide deck obtained by The Washington Post, the agency knows it is fighting “communications challenges” in a losing battle against public sentiment. One part of the presentation reads, “Public convinced vaccines no longer work/booster doses needed.” The leak comes the same day the agency reinstated recommendations that people in regions of the United States experiencing another wave of infections wear masks indoors, including vaccinated people. Another slide urges officials to “acknowledge the war has changed” because the Delta variant is so much more transmissible than previous versions, even among the vaccinated.
