The Delta Variant.. A Different War Against Covid-19
As the information about this SARS-Cov-2 virus that causes Covid-19 evolves, so must the measures that are recommended to fight this scourge. It is clear science that this virus will not mutate unless it can proliferate. The Covid-19 case numbers in our country have increased from 15,000 on the first day of July to 97,000 on the 1st of August. The USA is in the throes of another peak as Covid-19 cases have increased 54% in the last week. Hospitalizations and deaths are again on the rise, mostly in states with low vaccination rates. Five states (CA, FL, LA, MO, and TX) have 46% of the current new cases of Covid-19. Florida has 20% of the total number of current cases in the USA and has a positivity rate of 18% (rate above 5% is considered “too high”, Johns Hopkins U.). Over 99% of the current deaths and 96% of the hospitalizations are occurring in people who are not vaccinated. The Delta variant has exploded in the USA as a result of the political stubbornness, depressed vaccination rates, the social and business reopening of our country, and the huge misinterpretation or disregard for the CDC mask guidelines released in May, 2021. The CDC declaring that fully vaccinated individuals could go without masks in most circumstances was used as a counterproductive license for the unvaccinated to go out in public without masks in every situation.
The Delta variant has thus continued to thrive. New information regarding this very prevalent variant shows that it is more transmissible than chickenpox, seasonal flu, Ebola, and SARS. An alarming CDC study out of Massachusetts published July 30, 2021 at cdc.gov/mmwr detailed 469 Covid-19 cases in individuals who had traveled to and attended large public events in a town in Barnestable County, MA. between July3-17, 2021; 74% of the cases occurred in fully-vaccinated individuals. The Delta variant was identified in 90% of the specimens tested. The good news is that only four of the 469 patients were hospitalized (1.2%) and there were no deaths reported.
As a result of the Barnestable incident, the CDC’s tracking of over 6000 breakthrough infections, and emerging data showing vaccinated and unvaccinated persons having similar nasal viral loads, the CDC has revised its mask guidelines for vaccinated individuals (cdc.gov). The guidelines for the unvaccinated remain the same that is, until you get vaccinated, WEAR a mask at all times when around others especially indoors and maintain social distancing. Because of the Delta variant and to reduce the risk of spreading the virus indoors it is now recommended that even the fully vaccinated wear masks indoors when in “substantial or high transmission” areas. These areas are broken down by county on the very easy to use and constantly updated CDC COVID Data Tracker. Hamilton County in Ohio and all three adjacent Ohio counties are in the “substantial” category and all of the neighboring IN and KY counties are either “high” or “substantial” (8/1/2021). So if you live in these counties and are fully vaccinated the Guidelines indicate that you should be masked when around others indoors!
It cannot be overstated that our way out of this pandemic is through vaccinations. We just reached President Biden’s goal of 70% of adults with at least one vaccine dose. We need 75% vaccination for the entire country to get US to the immunity necessary to crush this virus. Fortunately, vaccination rates are increasing as over 700K Americans daily have rolled up their sleeves for the last five days, and 816K a couple of days ago. Contributing factors to this increase probably includes concern about the Delta variant and the mandates to their employees and customers by private businesses such as Disney, Walmart, and Broadway theaters.
In order to win this war against this novel Covid-19, and we will; we must be adaptable. As the scientific knowledge changes so must we. There will be Americans among us who will not accept any science for their variety of reasons, yet as healthcare workers we will provide information to the majority. We encourage every eligible American to get VACCINATED with one of the available, safe, and effective vaccines. Please WEAR your masks in accordance with CDC Guidelines.
