By: Shecondria Duncan
What started as an epidemic in Wuhan, China, in 2019 quickly became a global pandemic. SARS-CoV-2, also known as Covid-19, caused citizens to be locked down for months, shut down schools and businesses, and has taken the life of many people across the globe. The only glimpse of hope amidst this horrific pandemic arrived when a vaccine became available late last year. However, since the development of this vaccine, four new Covid strains have surfaced, leaving most of us wondering if there is an end to this pandemic?
COVID-19 VARIANT STRAINS
As of June 2021, the CDC is monitoring four different strains of Covid-19. The strains Delta, Beta, Alpha, and Gamma are classified as variants of concern. Delta is now responsible for 83% of Covid cases in the U.S. Dr. Perry Wilson, a Yale Medicine epidemiologist, says, “Delta is spreading 50% faster than Alpha, which was 50% more contagious than the original strain of SARS-Co-V-2.”
Who is being affected most by the Delta strain? According to new reports from health officials, unvaccinated people. This population includes kids and adults under 50, according to a recent U.K. study. This research showed that adults under 50 and children are 2.5 times more likely to be infected with Delta.
IS A NEW SURGE IN COVID-19 CASES POSSIBLE?
With Covid-19 cases beginning to rise again in the U.S., could we be facing another surge of this virus? The answer to that could be yes. According to health officials, if the Delta variant continues to move quickly across low-vaccinated populations, a new surge in Covid cases is highly possible. Worse than that, findings from a U.K. study showed that the delta variant is twice as likely to lead to hospitalization.
As it appears, we may be facing this pandemic longer than expected. Until we reach the finish line, getting vaccinated may be the best solution to protect you against this deadly virus. CDC Director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, stated data suggests that 99.5 % of people who died from Covid-19 since January were unvaccinated. Dr. Walensky further said, “We also know that our authorized vaccines prevent severe disease, hospitalization, and death from the delta variant.”
Staten Island University Hospital physician, Dr. Theodore Strange, agrees with this data. He agrees that the current vaccines work to prevent the infection of the disease and the spread of it.
Overall, returning to a sense of normalcy appears to be highly dependent upon increasing vaccination rates amongst low-vaccinated populations.
A Work of Faith Ministries, Inc. 