Delta Variant In OH Makes Case For Vaccines Even More Clear: Docs

COLUMBUS, OH — The delta variant of COVID-19 is on the rise in Ohio.

The variant is on a trajectory to become the dominant strand of the virus in Ohio, said Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, chief medical officer of the Ohio Department of Health. By late May and mid-June, the delta variant was responsible for 15 percent of all positive cases in Ohio.

By the end of June, preliminary data testing of last month's cases suggests, the variant will be responsible for 30 percent of all positive COVID-19 cases in Ohio, Vanderhoff said.

"The delta variant is moving rapidly to replace B.1.1.7. as our dominant form of the virus," Vanderhoff said.

People 50 and younger are now far more likely to be infected by the delta variant, Vanderhoff said. Those infections are also more likely to lead to hospitalizations. Unvaccinated people are at the highest risk of contracting delta, Vanderhoff said, and communities with low-vaccination rates could face "hyperlocal outbreaks," he added.

The way the delta variant spreads is the same as other variants of COVID-19, but less particles are required to spread the virus, said The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Andrew Thomas. He urged unvaccinated Ohioans to wear masks and take precautionary measures in public.

"The delta variant makes the case for vaccination even more clear," Thomas said.

Hospitalizations related to COVID-19 have been rising in the hospitals overseen by Thomas, he said. He believes the bump in cases is attributable to both Independence Day festivities and the ascendance of the delta variant.

Unlike previous COVID-19 spikes, approximately 60 percent of Ohioans 20 and older are now vaccinated against the virus. That should stymie the uptick in cases, though unvaccinated Ohioans will face an elevated risk of hospitalizations or dying, Thomas said.

"Our current vaccines are effective against the delta variant," Vanderhoff said. "The bad news is that if you are partially or not vaccinated you are at a greater risk of hospitalization."

With fall, and cooler weather, approaching, Ohioans need to take steps to protect themselves and others, Vanderhoff said. He is particularly concerned about the low-vaccination rates in rural Ohio.

"It does concern me and other health care leaders when we look and see that we have communities across the state with low-vaccination rates and many of those are our rural communities," he said.

Even in major metro areas, Vanderhoff noted, there are pockets of unvaccinated people.

"It's not only geographic differences," Thomas added. He explained vaccination rates vary by age, with Ohioans 20-40 years of age needing to improve their vaccination rates. "They can do their part by rolling up their sleeves and getting vaccinated."

"The danger just keeps getting greater and greater," Vanderhoff said. "Please consider getting vaccinated."