The Wilson Post
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Health leaders warn about Delta variant





Darlene Brown, R.N., supervisor for medical services at the Wilson County Health Department, talks with a resident before administering the swab for the COVID-19 test earlier this year. Shannon Cooper, division chief of Wilson Emergency Management Agency, assists Brown with the process.DALLUS WHITFIELD

Darlene Brown, R.N., supervisor for medical services at the Wilson County Health Department, talks with a resident before administering the swab for the COVID-19 test earlier this year. Shannon Cooper, division chief of Wilson Emergency Management Agency, assists Brown with the process.DALLUS WHITFIELD

Health officials across the country, including those at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, are urging people to take caution against COVID-19 as a highly infectious variant makes its way through the country.

Some areas of the country have experienced an increase in COVID-19 cases after months of decline following its peak around the holiday season just as the COVID-19 Delta variant spreads in several regions.

“Still, a very substantial proportion of our population still is unvaccinated,” said Dr. William Schaffner, Vanderbilt University Professor of Infectious Diseases. “This Delta variant is exceedingly contagious and it’s now seeking out people who are unvaccinated.”

Delta, along with Beta and Gamma, are variants that have been identified as variants of concern in the United States. The distinction means they are being closely monitored due to evidence they have increased transmissibility and increased disease severity.

The Delta variant transmissibility has been identified as 40 to 60 percent faster than the variant that made its way through the country over the last year.

“This Delta variant is extraordinarily contagious. So, if you are unvaccinated, it’s making its way through that unvaccinated population in the United States,” Schaffner said.

Vaccination rates vary throughout the United States and Schaffner said certain areas, mainly rural areas and large portions of the Southeast, could be greatly impacted by the Delta variant.

“(The Southeast has) much lower total vaccination rates. So, I think we’re going to see going forward the cases occur among these unvaccinated communities and areas of our country,” he said.

Schaffner also warned the Delta variant could have a great impact on middle-aged, unvaccinated people.

“The people we’re seeing in the hospital now are not the old folks. Those are the folks we saw in the beginning, but we’ve largely vaccinated that population,” he said. “Now, we’re seeing people in their 40s, 30s and 20s, and they start out, because they’re younger and stronger, with a much greater chance of coming out of the hospital OK after they get COVID. They’re not free of risk.”

Schaffner said COVID-19 vaccines have stood up against the Delta variant even after about nine months since the initial vaccinations.

“At the moment, our vaccines do cover the variants that are out there,” he said.

No Delta variant has been officially identified in Wilson County, although it has been identified in Davidson County.

Wilson County’s case count climbed to 19,435 cases through Friday. The latest figures included 250 deaths and 57 active cases.

As of July 9, Wilson County averaged 5 new cases reported per day over 14 days from June 24 through July 8. The average for the previous 14 days was 3.4 cases per day.

The county averaged about 104 tests per day for the week ending June 8, which yielded a 4 percent positivity rate.

About 40 percent of Wilson County residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 37 percent have received two doses.

The county’s vaccination count is about 108,900 as of July 9.

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