With some trade events cancelling during a COVID resurgence, experts caution that it’s too early to tell if the latest variant of the disease will have any serious economic impact.
ACT Research’s 65th Seminar, FTR’s 2021 Transportation Conference, the North American Commercial Vehicle Show and NTEA’s 2021 Truck Product Conference are among industry events that were cancelled by organizers as disease experts continue to warn about the highly contagious Delta variant which has led to breakthrough cases among the vaccinated.
“It's much more contagious. That's why it's become so dominant,” said Dr. William Schaffner, medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. “You can think of it as outrunning all the other strains.”
[Related: Majority of drivers say they would resist vaccine and COVID testing requirements]
Though roughly 90% of current COVID cases are of the Delta strain, Schaffner said “the current vaccines do pretty well against Delta,” and though breakthrough cases among the vaccinated are a concern they’re typically “not severe enough to get you into the hospital.”
News like that helps to build confidence for analysts at ACT Research and FTR who ultimately say it’s still too early to nail down any significant effects on the market from the latest COVID wave.
