X-rays show how Covid damages lungs of unvaccinated patients
X-ray images have shown for the first time how much of a difference getting a Covid vaccine can make to a patient’s lungs.
Doctors have shared side-by-side pictures of Covid positive people, with the lungs of the patient who had been vaccinated far less cloudy than those of the patient who hadn’t had the shots.
The white seen in the unvaccinated person’s lungs in the X-ray shows the damage done by the virus and could be bacteria, mucus, or other secretions, Dr Ghassan Kamel told the St Louis TV station KSDK.
While still ill, the vaccinated patient has more black areas, demonstrating healthier-looking lungs filled with air.
Dr Kamel said someone with lungs as badly affected as the unvaccinated patient would likely require significant care.
‘They definitely at least would require oxygen and sometimes they would require more than just oxygen. They might require the ventilator or get intubated on mechanical ventilation, sedated, and basically on life support,’ he said.
Vaccines provide significant protection against infection, and where it does occur, the virus is likely to be milder and not require hospital treatment.
Dr Kamel, who is the ICU director at the Saint Louis University Hospital in Missouri, said they were seeing ‘very sick’ patients and they tended to be younger than in previous waves.
Those who have been vaccinated and do end up in hospital are then unlikely to require intensive care or life support.
Experts have warned that while the vaccine can prevent a person from becoming sick themselves, it doesn’t stop them spreading it to others.
The US has hit a six-month high for new Covid cases with over 100,000 infections reported on Wednesday, as the Delta variant ravages areas where people did not get vaccinated.
The country is reporting over 94,819 cases on a seven-day average, a five-fold increase in less than a month with the most stark rises coming in more vaccine hesitant states like Florida, Missouri and Louisiana.
In the coming weeks, cases could double to 200,000 per day due to the highly contagious Delta variant, said top U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci on Wednesday.
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