With COVID-19′s delta variant, it’s too early to celebrate

Whiteside County is 40% vaccinated against COVID-19 and Lee County is 44% vaccinated against COVID-19.

The communities look like they are celebrating with few people wearing masks in public.

Is it time to celebrate?

Maybe not!

Perhaps instead of celebrating, it is time to get ready to prevent another outbreak in Whiteside and Lee Counties by getting more residents vaccinated.

If Whiteside and Lee Counties are significantly under 70% vaccinated, the residents remain vulnerable to the next wave of the COVID-19 infection, the delta variant.

“The delta variant is the “greatest threat” in efforts to eliminate COVID-19 in the U.S., Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said at a Whitehouse briefing on Tuesday (June 22).”

Presently the delta variant is considered the most transmissible variant, 60% higher transmissible than the original COVID-19 virus.

The World Health Organizations says that the delta is becoming the dominant strain worldwide and is expected to become the dominant strain in the United States.

Presently 20% of COVID-19 infections are from the delta variant in the United States. People infected with the delta variant are twice as likely to be hospitalized and the delta variant has the potential to be more dangerous for younger adults and adolescents.

Luckily, Whiteside and Lee Counties do not have to experience another surge of hospitalizations and deaths. People can simply get vaccinated.

But it is important to act now before the delta variant spreads to Northwestern Illinois.

In Whiteside and Lee Counties, 317 people are reported to have died so far from COVID-19. In March of 2020, we did not have the knowledge about the COVID-19 virus or the vaccine available to save people’s lives.

We do now!

There will be no excuse for another bout of hospitalizations and death that is likely to come with the delta variant if the residents of these counties do not step up and protect themselves and their children by getting vaccinated.

It is not time to celebrate success; it is time to prevent another COVID-19 outbreak. Save your lives and your children’s lives by getting vaccinated now. Pharmacies, hospitals, and health departments all have the vaccines. There is no excuse for more COVID-19 infections or deaths from the COVID-19 delta variant.

Beth Fiorini, RN, BA, MS, was the Whiteside County Health Department administrator for 29 years.