THURSDAY'S COVID-19 UPDATE: Delta Variant biggest culprit in statewide COVID-19 spike

Data available at the Indiana State Department of Health’s COVID-19 Dashboard shows Clay County in RED Advisory Category in the 2-Week Metric Score as of Wednesday. The ISDH is listing the Delta Variant as the cause in 96% of the positive cases in Indiana.

Clay County Health Nurse Kim Hyatt is in touch daily with officials at the ISDH about COVID-19. To find free testing sites, people who want to get tested can still log onto the state’s ISDH website (www.coronavirus.in.gov/).

“There are some free testing sites in Parke, Putnam, and Vigo counties,” said Hyatt, adding the Clay County Health Department, 18 North Walnut Street, Brazil, is not a testing site. “I believe local pharmacies recently began providing testing. Ascension St. Vincent Hospital does COVID-19 tests, but with a doctor’s reference only.”

(To learn more about the type of testing available at CVS or Walgreens, log onto their respective websites.)

On Thursday afternoon, the ISDH and Clay County Health Department announced there would be a FREE COVID-19 Drive Through or Walk-Up Testing site at Forest Park in Brazil, August 16-18 from noon to 8 p.m.

Ages 2 and up can be tested, but those under 18 must be accompanied by parent or guardian.

Vaccines will also be available, although only limited amounts of the Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer vaccine will be available each day.

When a person is tested for COVID-19, an initial positive or negative result is provided to the patient. However, according to Hyatt, ISDH, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, continued testing will determine if the virus has mutated if there is a positive result. This regular testing has determined several mutations of the initial Coronavirus, which sparked the pandemic in 2020.

Locally, the Wabash Valley’s positivity rates trended up Wednesday.

In District 7, Clay, Parke, Sullivan, and Vermillion counties are all in the ORANGE Advisory Category for the 2-Week Metric Score. Greene, Putnam, Owen, and Vigo counties are in YELLOW.

All of the counties are showing positive cases are trending upward, with Putnam and Owen currently trending downward.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention health officials have assessed the Delta Variant is responsible for 93% of the new cases in the United States.

In Indiana, the ISDH estimates 96% of the new COVID-19 cases are from the Delta Variant.

“We are not going to receive specific information about the Delta Variant,” said Hyatt, adding that specific testing takes longer. “People who are getting sick now from COVID-19, it’s the Delta Variant.”

In general, the symptoms of the Delta Variant are the same: fever, dry cough, shortness of breath, temporary loss of taste or smell, flu-like respiratory and digestive problems, muscle aches, and fatigue.

Keeping safe is also pretty much the same as during the arrival of COVID-19:

• Practice good hygiene,

• Wear a face mask over the nose and mouth,

• Practice social distancing of at least 6-feet,

• Avoid large crowds and poorly ventilated spaces

• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces

“This is about keeping yourself and your family safe and healthy,” said Hyatt about the reality of COVID-19. “Whatever you choose to do to do, be cautious that COVID-19 is out there, and the numbers are rising.”

What to know about the Delta Variant

The Delta Variant, a highly contagious SARS-CoV-2 virus strain, was first identified in India in December. Sweeping rapidly through India and into Great Britain before reaching the U.S., Delta is now the predominant variant.

According to the CDC, this mutation of COVID-19 is twice as transmissible as the original virus that emerged in late 2019. In July, the CDC had data suggesting Delta is easier to spread than viruses that cause MERS, SARS, Ebola, the common cold, the seasonal flu, and smallpox. The same data showed the potential of Delta being as contagious as chickenpox.

Health experts say Delta has an incubation period of four days instead of six, making people contagious sooner and paving the way to possibly infect others before the person even knows they are sick.

The Delta Variant infects those not vaccinated and impacts those younger than 50 and children are getting sick.

Vaccinations

According to health officials, those fully vaccinated against Coronavirus continue to have strong protection against COVID-19 compared to those who aren’t. Those unvaccinated and not practicing preventive strategies are at high risk for infection by the new variant.

Health Misinformation

According to the best available evidence, health misinformation is false, inaccurate, or misleading, and it is not a recent phenomenon. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed Americans to a wide range of misinformation about masks and social distancing, treatments, and vaccines. This confusion is causing division among those debating the pandemic.

In July, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued his first Surgeon General’s Advisory to warn the American public about the urgent threat of health misinformation.

“Health misinformation is an urgent threat to public health. It can cause confusion, sow mistrust, and undermine public health efforts, including our ongoing work to end the COVID-19 pandemic,” said U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. “As Surgeon General, my job is to help people stay safe and healthy, and without limiting the spread of health misinformation, American lives are at risk. From the tech and social media companies who must do more to address the spread on their platforms to all of us identifying and avoiding sharing misinformation, tackling this challenge will require an all-of-society approach, but it is critical for the long-term health of our nation.”