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Lab officials have detected 20 cases of the delta strain in North Dakota, but the state only performs genome sequencing on a small percentage of positive tests, so it’s impossible to say how many residents have contracted the. variant. State epidemiologist Grace Njau said that “it would not be possible to assume that (delta) is or soon will be the dominant strain in North Dakota.”
The variant, first identified in India late last year, accounts for around 83% of COVID-19 cases nationwide, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Rochelle Walensky said, Tuesday July 20. three weeks ago.
The strain that hit India and the UK is now hitting pockets of the US with low vaccination rates. Delta-fueled epidemics in Missouri and Arkansas have resulted in the highest case rates in months, pushing some hospitals to their limits. In an appearance on Face the Nation, Springfield, Missouri, Mayor Ken McClure attributed the worrying increase in infection in his community to reluctance to vaccinate and urged unvaccinated people across the state to ask for the vaccine because “the wave is coming”.
With about 45% of its population fully immune to COVID-19, North Dakota has a similar vaccination rate to Missouri and Arkansas, meaning Peace Garden state is also vulnerable to a reemergence of the virus, said state immunization coordinator Molly Howell.
“I don’t see why North Dakota would be any different from these states,” Howell said. “Anywhere where there are pockets of unvaccinated or under-vaccinated people, there would be a risk of having a COVID-19 outbreak. ”
It’s likely that the most contagious strain hasn’t hit North Dakota yet, as it was introduced later than in the more populous and frequented states, Howell noted. The earlier onset of warm weather in the southern United States may also have pushed residents indoors where the virus spreads more easily, Howell said.
North Dakota has seen a “slight but noticeable increase” in cases and the rate of positivity over the past few days, but it’s too early to say an increase is on the horizon, Njau said.
Any outbreak caused by the delta strain in North Dakota would likely not be as severe as the peak in infections in the fall, as most older residents have gained protection through vaccination, Howell and Njau.
However, groups hesitant about vaccination create “susceptible groups of individuals” who risk serious illness and death if they contract the virus, Njau said.
“While advances in immunization are promising, it should concern all of us when there are areas that may be at risk for serious outbreaks, hospitalizations and death,” Njau said in an email. “Nor would it be possible to assume that the devastation caused by a wave would be felt more strongly in these communities, compared to those who successfully vaccinated.”
Western North Dakota continues to lag behind the rest of the state in terms of vaccination rates, although vaccination efforts have largely stalled across the board.
Howell said residents should feel an urgency to get both doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines to be fully immunized and better protected against the virus before an outbreak hits the state.
People under the age of 50 are much more likely to catch the delta strain than those over the age of 50, according to new research, highlighting the risk of the disease for everyone, not just vulnerable residents. said the state’s chief disease control officer Kirby Kruger. The ‘randomness of the disease’ means young people could have asymptomatic cases of COVID-19 or end up hospitalized with long-term health consequences, so getting the protection offered by the vaccine is critical, Howell added. .
Increasing the overall vaccination rate also decreases the likelihood of “breakthrough” cases in those vaccinated, which occurs on rare occasions because vaccines are not 100% effective against the virus, Howell said.
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