During his August 5th press briefing, Health Officer Dr. Duchin addressed the Delta-driven surge in COVID-19 cases, puts breakthrough cases in context, and reminds us that as COVID-19 prevention measures were lifted, vaccinated and unvaccinated people are doing lots of things together, often in close contact, indoors without taking adequate precautions like masking. Vaccines remain the best way to reduce risk. And multiple layers of protection can help keep us all safer with the more contagious Delta variant circulating.
We do have enough unvaccinated people to sustain a serious Delta surge that will cause preventable serious infections, hospitalizations and deaths. This virus is significantly nastier than previous COVID-19 viruses, and it’s challenging us in new ways. The bottom line: vaccines offer excellent protection against hospitalization and death from Delta. But if you aren’t vaccinated, you are more likely to be infected, hospitalized or die from COVID-19.
I know this is such a marathon. We’ve been at this so long. This pandemic is continuing to challenge us … but for now, our outbreak continues to evolve. Our understanding is evolving, and our actions need to evolve as well to reflect the reality of our pandemic.
HEALTH OFFICER, DR. JEFF DUCHIN
Originally published on August 6, 2021