Health officials here are urging residents to get COVID-19 vaccinations, as they suspect the Delta variant has caused cases to spike recently.
In a statement issued Thursday, the Shelby County Health Department (SCHD) said the Delta variant is 50 to 60 percent more transmissible than the original COVID-19 strain. It said a list of evidence points to increased Delta activity in Shelby County:
• The seven-day COVID-19 case average has more than doubled in the last six days, increasing from 26 on July 1st to 59 on July 6th.
• The reproductive rate of the virus is currently 1.22, the highest it has been since June 25, 2020.
• The seven-day average positivity rate is now 4.5 percent, increasing from 2.9 percent on July 1st.
• A total of 58 Delta variant cases have been identified in Shelby County as of July 7th, while another 26 cases are suspected to be Delta variant cases. SCHD has projected that the Delta variant could become the dominant strain in Shelby County by the end of July.
“All of the COVID-19 vaccines that have received emergency use authorization in the United States, including Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson, provide a high degree of protection against the Delta variant, as well as the other COVID-19 strains,” said Shelby County Health Officer Dr. Bruce Randolph. “Even the so-called ‘breakthrough cases’ that have occurred in fully vaccinated individuals are usually mild and rarely require hospitalization. The unvaccinated are the most at risk for serious illness from the Delta variant.”
COVID-19 vaccines are free and available at pharmacies, clinics, and public vaccination sites. The full list of vaccination sites is available here.
The health department will also offer COVID-19 vaccinations to adults and children 12 and older at 814 Jefferson Avenue on Saturday, July 10th, and Saturday, July 17th, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
