Vaccinations only chance against COVID, officials say

By: 
Philip A. Janquart
Editor/Reporter

Leaders in Idaho and across the U.S. continue to urge people to get vaccinated amid a surge in COVID-19 cases and the Delta variant.
 As of Sept. 10, there have been a total of 40,870,648 reported cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. since the pandemic began, with 656,318 total deaths, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
 “COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths have generally increased throughout most of the country since the beginning of summer, fueled by the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant,” the CDC states on its website.
 The CDC reports that the Delta variant, the predominant variant of the COVID-19 virus in the U.S., is twice as contagious as previous variants. Data also suggest that the Delta variant may cause more severe illness than previous variants in unvaccinated people.
 “In two different studies from Canada and Scotland, patients infected with the Delta variant were more likely to be hospitalized than patients infected with Alpha or the original virus that causes COVID-19,” the CDC states. “Even so, the vast majority of hospitalization and death caused by COVID-19 are in unvaccinated people.”
 The current 7-day average of daily new cases is 136,558, a 12.7 percent decrease from the previous week’s 156,341 7-day average. The current average, however, is 99.3 percent higher than the value observed one year ago when the 7-day daily average, reported on July 20, 2020, was 68,527.
 In Washington County, there have been 1,062 confirmed cases, with another 458 reported “probable” cases, for a total of 1,520, according to a Sept. 10 update found on Southwest District Health’s (SWDH) website at phd3.idaho.gov. There have also been 28 deaths, with 1,242 people recovering from the illness.
 The agency also reports a 44.97 percent vaccination rate, which represents the number of county residents who have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The figure is updated weekly by SWDH, on Mondays.
 On Sept. 13, 2021, the CDC reported that, “In Washington County, Idaho, community transmission is high. Everyone should wear a mask in public indoor settings.”
Booster shots?
 The CDC claims that although current FDA-approved vaccines remain effective in reducing risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death, they have also shown to decrease in effectiveness over time.
 In an Aug. 18 statement issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, health and medical experts said that additional vaccine doses could be needed to ensure “lasting protection.”
 “The available data makes it very clear that protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection begins to decrease over time following the initial doses of vaccination, and in association with the dominance of the Delta variant, we are starting to see evidence of reduced protection against mild and moderate disease.
 “Based on our latest assessment, the current protection … could diminish in the months ahead … for that reason, we conclude that a booster shot will be needed to maximize vaccine-induced protection and prolong its durability.”
 The CDC has stated that it plans to make booster shots available this fall, but the move is contingent on the CDC’s independent advisory committee, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which will continue to “meet and discuss data on the evolution of the pandemic and the use of COVID-19 vaccines. ACIP will make further recommendations on the use of boosters for the public after a thorough review of the evidence.”
 The FDA is also conducting an independent evaluation to determine the booster’s safety and effectiveness.
 Based on the FDA’s findings and ACIP recommendations, the booster would be available to individuals beginning 8 months after they receive their second dose of an mRNA vaccine – Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna.
Vaccination vs. termination
 Meanwhile, many businesses have adopted a policy requiring employees be vaccinated or face termination.
 Last week, President Joe Biden announced a vaccine mandate for all federal workers and contractors, and an “emergency rule” that businesses with 100 or more employees must require their workforce be vaccinated or show negative in a test for the virus on a weekly basis.
 The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will introduce the rule via an “Emergency Temporary Standard,” which would provide a possible $14,000 fine per violation, according to a CBS News report.
 Most hospitals across the Treasure Valley have adopted vaccination or termination policies that have led to controversies about whether private businesses have the right to make vaccinations a requirement of employment.
 In August, the grassroots organization Take a Stand Now (TASN), which consists primarily of health care workers, sent a cease-and-desist letter to CEO’s at Saint Alphonsus and St. Luke’s hospitals and to Primary Health, which have adopted the policy, and expressed their willingness to file legal action to stop them.
 “Our members have given us clear direction and generous support to begin the legal actions necessary to stop the hospital systems and Primary Health from forcing employees and contractors to either take the vaccine or get fired,” said TASN chairman Victoria Stump in an Aug. 17 statement. “The cease-and-desist letter lays out the rationale and spells out the next legal steps that will be taken if the mandates continue.”
 Idaho Gov. Brad Little announced Aug. 31 reactivation of the National Guard, directing as many as 370 people to help hospitals as they reach capacity, with up to 150 guardsmen activated to support short-staffed health facilities, handling screenings and lab work.
When will it end?
 “I’m encouraging everyone who is not vaccinated, to get vaccinated, said Weiser Mayor Randy Hibberd. “I had a doctor’s visit that we set up with Telehealth, and he was an hour late. He had been in the ER the last couple of hours, setting two people up on dialysis who had complications from COVID. One was in his 30s, the other was in his early 50s. Meanwhile, a 23-year-old was getting ventilated.
 “The first wave hit older people, but this one is hitting younger people. This is the Delta variant and it’s twice as communicable. The first one affected 2.5 people per person, this one, they aren’t quite sure yet, but they are thinking somewhere between five and nine. The only thing I can see, in talking with doctors and in talking with Southwest District Health, is vaccination. It’s the only way to get on top of this.”
 For more information on COVID-19 and related updated data, visit www.cdc.gov, or www.phd3.idaho.gov.
 

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