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Climbing COVID’s peak

I honestly thought that by the end of summer we’d be seeing better COVID-19 numbers in West Virginia. I’ve been a little taken aback at just how bad the numbers are.

Don’t get me wrong, COVID-19 numbers are still worse in many states south of us. Much of our increase in cases and hospitalizations have come after many southern states have already seen their peak in delta variant cases.

Reasons for that are not immediately clear. Perhaps the heat kept more people indoors, where COVID has the most opportunity to spread. Having vacationed in Florida nearly every May for the last several years, I can at least confirm the condo I stay in might have air conditioning, but no real air circulation.

The reasons are not important. There is no denying that the delta variant is here. Perhaps it will not hit us as hard as other states based on the size of our population but considering the age of our population it can do – and is doing – real damage. We’re probably a few weeks away from peaking, but by then it sure looks like it will cause our healthcare system to be pushed to the breaking point.

This increase in active cases, hospitalizations, and now even deaths is nearly completely due to the unvaccinated in West Virginia. A state that led the charge last December in getting vaccines in the arms of those in long-term care facilities, those older than 65, and teachers and staff older than 50, is now struggling to get the remainder vaccinated.

Vaccinations are up after slinking during the first part of summer. Even the vaccine incentive lottery and prizes — even a guaranteed $100 for certain age groups and multiple chances at $1 million checks — didn’t get the numbers up despite what the Justice administration claims. Most of the slow increase in vaccinations came towards the end of the lottery and were due more to people realizing they would not be able to wait out the delta variant.

As the case numbers now climb back up to levels not seen since February — one month before cases, hospitalizations, and deaths peaked — we are seeing more people run for the nearest pharmacy for their shot. But I’ll never understand all the hesitancy. Not when the stats show these vaccines do their jobs and do them well.

Take breakthrough infections for example. Yes, even with the vaccine you can still get sick, though the cases are almost always mild. There have been 4,417 breakthrough cases reported to the state Department of Health and Human Resources since the vaccines have been distributed. As of Thursday, only 0.49 percent — or half of 1 percent — of fully vaccinated people have developed COVID.

The percentage of people who have died from COVID while fully vaccinated? Just 0.007 percent. That’s it. I share these stats to show just how effective the vaccine is at preventing infection, serious infections, and death. It also shows that the jump in cases and hospitalizations is due to unvaccinated people.

We’re more than 18 months into this pandemic and eight months have passed since the vaccines received emergency use authorization. I still stand by the opinion that West Virginia has weathered COVID as well as we can. Outside of a return to indoor mask mandates and perhaps requiring state employees to be vaccinated (a power they’re not sure they have) what can be done?

Sure, require masks indoors for both the vaccinated and unvaccinated. But the same people who are vaccine-hesitant were also refusing to wear masks prior to the vaccine. Keep in mind, we had an indoor mask mandate for nearly a year and we still had our cases spike in the late fall and early winter. I’m not saying the masks are not effective. They are, but you need people wearing them for them to be effective.

I don’t know the legal issues with the state requiring public workers to be vaccinated, but I think they should be. I’m also happy to see businesses — particularly healthcare industries — require their employees to be vaccinated. You’re seeing some businesses include a COVID fee for those who refuse to get vaccinated. Makes sense, considering your employees who won’t get the vaccine and later get infected are driving up healthcare costs and insurance premiums.

But at the end of the day, I fear there is no stopping delta until the people who haven’t yet been vaccinated or infected are either dosed or infected. If that’s the case, I’d get your outpatient medical procedure scheduled over the next several days before the hospitals turn you away.

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