[ad_1]
KING COUNTY, Washington – The delta variant, first detected in India, takes off in Washington and is multiplying rapidly. Doctors say he’s looking for the unvaccinated.
“Residents who are not vaccinated are 10 times more likely to test positive for COVID-19, 15 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19, and 12 times more likely to die,” said Dr. Jeff Duchin of Public Health Seattle and King’s County.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that the delta variant is more transmissible than MERS and SARS, Ebola, the common cold, the flu, and smallpox. They say it’s as transmissible as chickenpox.
KIRO7 asked Duchin what this means.
“The bottom line is that COVID-19 is highly contagious through the air, chickenpox is highly contagious through the air. They are both highly contagious airborne diseases, ”said Duchin.
The CDC says the delta variant is much more contagious than the original strain, multiplying quickly.
“Vaccinated people who have a breakthrough infection are clearly capable of transmitting the infection to an uninfected person,” said Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
In King County, the breakthrough rate is still one-tenth of 1% of those vaccinated, 1,489 cases as of July 16.
Public health is investigating an outbreak of groundbreaking cases at a Seattle gym after a Pride fundraising workout on June 26. They say at least 14 fully vaccinated people have tested positive for COVID. They say the training took place indoors for a few hours and the participants were not wearing masks and were not socially distanced. Investigators also found that there was not adequate ventilation. They hope to release more information next week.
And while the variant carries many of the same symptoms as the original strain, Duchin says patients also report a runny nose, sneezing, congestion, and a sore throat.
Masks are recommended in indoor public places, where the immunization status of others is unknown.
At this point, Public Health Seattle and King County are not considering a mask warrant.
“With the level of disease that we are seeing in the county today, I don’t think a more restrictive or coercive direction is needed,” Duchin said.
He noted that there appears to be a slight increase in the number of people seeking to be vaccinated over the past week.
Public Health Seattle and King County announced on Friday that they are recommending mandatory vaccination for all healthcare workers.
© 2021 Cox Media Group
[ad_2]
Source link