Pandemic Status: Delta surge is improving
- The new case rate in the US continued to decline last week; it is currently about 108,000/day 7 day rolling average according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. It is too early to declare the Delta wave is resolving, but the decline in new cases is very encouraging.
- Virginia declined substantially in new case rates as well; currently we have about 2780/day 7 day average, new cases.
- Three Rivers case numbers declined to 425 new cases last week.
- The current 7 day average number of people hospitalized in Virginia with COVID 19 has declined to 1984. Health care systems, however, remain stressed due to the pandemic surge in the face of staff attrition. Many workers have left the health care industry to retire, change career fields, seek better pay in other jobs, and various other reasons.
- To this point I have provided vaccination statistics relevant to the population over age 18, primarily because vaccination opportunity has been age limited. Since herd immunity relates to the total population, and vaccination opportunity will expand soon to children, I will provide vaccination statistics relevant to the total population. About 67.9% of the total population in Virginia has received at least one dose of vaccine. In Three Rivers, Lancaster County has our highest vaccination rate at 67.8% of the total population with at least one dose. Richmond County is our least vaccinated jurisdiction at 51.3% of the total population with at least one dose. Over 84% of our Three Rivers residents aged 65+ have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
- VDH data show 10,087 average daily vaccine doses administered across Virginia.
- All Three Rivers counties remain in high transmission. A VDH map showing indicators of community transmission can be found here: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/covid-19-in-virginia/community-transmission/
- We have experienced a dramatic increase in outbreaks in schools, especially related to sports teams, as well as long term care facilities, businesses, churches, sports and recreational clubs, and other settings. We are currently tracking over 3000 people in our case investigation and contact tracing system.
Everyone age 12 and older is now eligible for vaccination in Virginia. Please visit vaccinate.virginia.gov or call 1-877-VAX-IN-VA to find vaccination opportunities.
We have resumed COVID 19 testing in conjunction with our continued vaccination outreach. COVID-19 Rapid Testing and PCR Testing are available through the Three Rivers Health District COVID-19 Testing Team by appointment. Please call your local health department or call 804-815-4191 to schedule an appointment for testing.
CDC recommendations for Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine boosters are finalized. Virginia COVID vaccine providers may begin delivering Pfizer booster vaccinations in accordance with CDC recommendations. The CDC Statement on ACIP Booster Recommendations may be viewed here: https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/p0924-booster-recommendations-.html
The CDC issued an urgent health advisory last week to increase COVID-19 vaccination among people who are pregnant, recently pregnant (including those who are lactating), who are trying to become pregnant now, or who might become pregnant in the future to prevent serious illness, deaths, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. CDC strongly recommends COVID-19 vaccination either before or during pregnancy because the benefits of vaccination outweigh known or potential risks. As of September 27, 2021, more than 125,000 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases have been reported in pregnant people, including more than 22,000 hospitalized cases and 161 deaths.
Flu vaccine is now widely available. This flu season is likely to be far more severe than we saw last year. Please get your flu shot this fall. There is no problem getting the flu vaccine and the COVID 19 vaccine at or near the same time. The Three Rivers Health District will be offering two drive through flu vaccine events (flu vaccine only) this year:
- Richmond County Rescue Squad complex in Warsaw on October 7th from 10AM – 2PM.
- Newington Baptist Church in Gloucester on October 16th from 10AM – 2PM.
Federal Mandates
Implementation of the White House multi-pronged “Path Out of the Pandemic” is underway. Essential elements of the plan include:
- Mandatory vaccinations for the following groups:
- Employers with 100+ Employees Ensure Workers Vaccinated or Tested Weekly
- All Federal Workers and for Contractors that Do Business with the Federal Government
- Health Care Workers at Medicare and Medicaid Participating Hospitals and Other Health Care Settings
- Proof of Vaccination or Testing for Entry to Large Entertainment Venues
- Requiring Employers to Provide Paid Time Off to Get Vaccinated
- Booster shots to further protect those who are already vaccinated
- Protecting Schools and keeping them open through vaccination and testing
- Increase testing availability, require masking for interstate travel and on federal property
- Protecting the economy by providing more help to small businesses
- Improving COVID 19 care
- Support our COVID 19 burdened hospitals
- Increasing monoclonal antibody therapy
- Deploy federal monoclonal antibody strike teams
Virus, Vaccine, and Viral Therapeutics Update
- The COVID 19 virus continues to genetically drift. The Delta variant remains responsible for the vast majority of COVID 19 disease in Virginia, and is highly contagious.
- Variant B.1.621, also known as the Mu variant, was classified by the World Health Organization as a variant of interest on August 30. The Mu variant has a number of mutations that may allow it to escape vaccine immunity and immunity from previous COVID 19 infection. The Mu variant may be able to evade antibodies in a manner similar to the Beta variant, which was first detected in South Africa. The Mu variant is mostly active in South America at this time. It has been detected in most states in the US, including Virginia, but accounts for less than 1 percent of cases currently. It is not considered an immediate threat in the United States.
- The VDH has established a COVID 19 Variants of Concern Dashboard. The dashboard can be accessed here: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/covid-19-data-insights/variants-of-concern/
- The COVID 19 vaccines are among the best and safest vaccines ever developed. As with all vaccines and medications, there are potential adverse effects. All the adverse events following vaccination are extremely rare, and the risk of COVID 19 disease far exceeds the risk of any of the adverse events that have been reported.
- Our vaccines are highly effective in preventing serious disease, hospitalization, and death from COVID 19 infection. According to VDH data, Over 97% of persons hospitalized with COVID 19 currently are not fully vaccinated. Fully vaccinated people are highly unlikely to experience severe disease, hospitalization, or death from the Delta variant of COVID 19.
- The COVID 19 vaccines also help prevent COVID 19 disease. VDH data show that unvaccinated people get infected with COVID 19 at many times the rate of fully vaccinated people. The VDH COVID 19 Cases by Vaccination Status dashboard can be found here: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/covid-19-data-insights/covid-19-cases-by-vaccination-status/
- The CDC recommends a third (additional) dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for people with moderately or severely weakened immune systems. Information from the CDC on COVID 19 vaccination for moderately to severely immunocompromised people can be found here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/immuno.html
The third dose is an additional shot in the primary vaccination series, and is not the same as a booster dose, addressed below.
- The CDC Director endorsed the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendation for a booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in certain populations and also recommended a booster dose for those in high risk occupational and institutional settings. CDC recommends:
- People 65 years and older and residents in long-term care settings should receive a booster shot of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer primary series.