There is still no semblance of normalcy in Washington state as it recently passed another COVID milestone. More than 500,000 cases have been reported since January 2020.
That has certainly raised eyebrows since vaccines are already available statewide. With new case numbers beginning to take a back seat, everyone is now looking into whether vaccines can really make an express ticket out of the pandemic on the house for Washington state, as well as the entire country.
The reason why new infection numbers are taking a back seat is that if a vaccinated person tests positive for COVID, they will certainly be fine. So it goes without saying, the most important things is we should keep a close eye on both hospitalizations and deaths. It remains to be seen whether hospitalizations and deaths will rise following the fall's arrival.
In King County, COVID-related hospitalizations and deaths didn't plummet, but are not increasing as rapidly as they did last fall because of the high vaccination rate in the county. In in some other parts of the state, hospitalizations are skyrocketing in lieu as vaccination rates there remain sluggish.
What's more, 5-to-12-year-olds are not eligible for vaccines yet. But there is good news today - they, and soon infants and toddlers, will be eligible for a Pfizer vaccine later this year or early next year, depending upon the FDA. But Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines aren't ready for children yet.
While Washingtonians can't make the most of this summer vacation thanks to the spread of the Delta variant, there is word the state appears to be farther away from getting an express ticket out of the pandemic, and some even said the state's road out of the pandemic and its future remain in limbo.
Word has it even vaccinated people can fall victim to the virus due to the Delta variant's high transmissibility. For some, witnessing their vaccinated loved ones contracting COVID again firsthand, spoke volumes.
Be that as it may, hundreds of thousands of people nationwide still remain unvaccinated despite the deteriorating situation in the country, which stands to reason why infections nationwide have been skyrocketing.
As many are fed up with the world being in a funk, they have taken to seeing the world through their own rose-colored glasses.
Meantime, many Americans were completely taken aback when states started reimposing mask mandates for indoor settings. Get-togethers are still allowed, but it is still a matter of whether everyone attending them are fully vaccinated since their immune systems have been trained to ward off COVID.
Now, misinformation online has successfully swayed many people into refusing to follow guidelines from health officials and get vaccinated.
To ensure you will make the right decision, take it from me: always adhere to guidelines from health officials and stick to your guns when it comes to that. As you well know, vaccines hold the key to ridding the world of COVID.
Other than getting inoculated, to prevent transmitting the virus unknowingly, especially for children, always staying outdoors can also do the same. And masking up indoors is one of the most effective methods to protect yourself and others.
And rest assured, if you have been adhering to guidelines from health officials aimed at protecting yourself and others and prevent transmission, and so have others, the world will be on the mend before long, and we will soon be out of this public health crisis.
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