The Delta Surge

I was hoping I could quit writing about Covid-19 and start sharing some other medical topics but it is the virus that just won't go away. There is one reason we are facing the new Delta Surge and it has to do with ignorance, politics, stubbornness and badly placed "personal freedom". Other countries would love to have the access to our vaccines. So many choices, free and easy. But selfish Americans remain the laughing stock of the world. Readers of EverythingHealth are probably up to date on everything Covid but in case you have questions...here goes.

INFECTIONS AFTER VACCINE: Yes, infections are occurring in people who have had the vaccine. I'm hearing about it daily, especially people who are at large gatherings, events or traveling on crowded airplanes. Vaccinated people are almost (nothing is guaranteed) 100% unlikely to be hospitalized or killed by Covid. The Delta variant doesn't change this fact. Vaccinated people are less likely to get Covid and if they have no symptoms they are unlikely to pass it to others.

83% OF NEW INFECTIONS ARE CAUSED BY DELTA VARIANT: The US death rate from Covid is now 608,528 and those numbers are occurring in the Red states that have the most unvaccinated people.

THE MAJORITY OF UNVACCINATED PEOPLE ARE UNLIKELY TO GET THE VACCINE: This in inexplicable to me but that's what the surveys show. Among US adults who have not yet received the vaccine, 35% say they probably will not and 45% say they definitely will not. This is despite the fact that the vaccines are effective against variants, including Delta. Almost 4 billion doses of Covid Vaccine have been administered worldwide.

MORE THAN 50 HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES HAVE CALLED FOR MANDATORY VACCINES FOR HEALTH WORKERS: This includes the prestigious AMA, American College of Physicians and The American Hospital Association. The Veterans Affairs is the first federal agency to mandate vaccines for its workforce. California will require health care workers and state employees to provide proof of vaccination or submit to Covid testing once weekly. California is the highest vaccinated State in the nation at 75%. We have one of the lowest infection rates.

A VACCINE WILL SOON BE AVAILABLE FOR CHILDREN UNDER 12: At this time most children under 12 do not get seriously ill with Covid but they can catch it and schools are still dealing with parents who don't want to send the kids to school and there is confusion about mandatory masks. A vaccine for kids will be most welcome.

What do you think about mandatory vaccines for health workers? I'm looking forward to the day when Covid is not on this website. But since unvaccinated people are a cesspool of mutations and new variant development, I suspect "personal freedom" will mean less freedom (and more tragedy and economic woes) for all of us.

This photo still yanks my chain