COVID-19 is not over yet. The more contagious Delta variant is the dominant strain in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and COVID cases have more than doubled in the past two weeks, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
According to the DSHS Vaccine Dashboard, only half of those over 12 eligible to vaccinate in Dallas and Tarrant counties are fully vaccinated. According to the Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation’s dashboard, teens and young adults have much lower vaccination rates compared to seniors. We are far from achieving herd immunity. Health experts at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health estimate that at least 70% of the population must be fully vaccinated.
As coronavirus cases recover and precautionary measures such as masking and physical distancing are abandoned, we are in a race between the virus and the vaccinations. The more we allow the virus to spread from person to person in restaurants, bars, gyms and large gatherings, the more hospital admissions and deaths we will see in our local hospitals.
Fortunately, we have a solution: vaccination. As of May, 99% of all deaths in the United States from COVID-19 were in unvaccinated people, based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, analyzed by the Associated Press.
People who have recovered from a previous infection are also recommended to still get vaccinated, as the vaccine produces a much more even response from the immune system. Relying on people to become infected is a poor alternative to vaccines, and it isn’t a risk we should take for our patients or loved ones.
We know the two-dose vaccines available at local pharmacies are effective in preventing serious illness and death from the Delta variant based on the latest research. These vaccines have been given safely to over 120 million Americans.
Critics will say that vaccines against the Delta variant are not perfect. This is true. And while it is possible to get the Delta variant even after full vaccination, vaccines are very effective at preventing serious illness and death, and that is what matters.
As Senator John Cornyn recently said, “Vaccination is the quickest way to get life back to normal.” This is especially true as the Delta variant is spreading in our area.
Everyone has a role to play in ending this pandemic. It starts with a conversation. If you have been vaccinated, speak to a friend, family member, or colleague about their vaccination prices today. Share your vaccination experience and listen to any concerns. If someone has specific health issues, encourage a conversation with a family doctor or medical provider as a trusted source of medical information. Every conversation counts and represents an opportunity to save lives.
In our online conversations and engagements, we should have a healthy dose of skepticism about what we hear, see, or read on social media. Health misinformation is widespread online, including on Facebook and TikTok, and can be harmful to your health. Colored communities are often the target of misinformation efforts and 65% of anti-vaccine content can be traced back to 12 snake oil sellers named the disinformation dozen in a report recently released by the Center for Countering Digital Hate.
The general surgeon Dr. Vivek Murthy recently published a guidebook in which he described limiting the spread of health misinformation as “a moral and civic necessity that requires a societal effort”.
Together we can do it. We can win the race and put an end to this pandemic. And it starts with you.
Hussain Lalani is a general practitioner at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a public health and policy researcher at Harvard. He is also the co-founder of the #ThisIsOurShot campaign.
Arthur Hong is an internist in Dallas. You wrote this column for the Dallas Morning News.
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