Opinion: Delta Variant’s Easing Up in Comal County but Vaccinations Shouldn’t

Finally Delta variant is releasing its hold on us. Locally and all of Texas is seeing less new cases and less hospitalizations. There will still be deaths as some of those patients currently on ventilators lose their battle with COVID-19.

Two and one-half months of this surge has been hard on everyone. Especially those who were infected, but also hospitals, doctors and nurses, schools, and businesses.

It is not gone of course.

You have to look at the world to know what is coming. Historically our surges followed in this order:

Europe to East Coast states. Across the United States to Texas. Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio then to Comal County.

But something different is happening. Delta has not let go of Germany or the United Kingdom or Russia. In the past, they had a decline of cases before the United States. Brazil has had a very long and brutal ongoing course of COVID-19.

Australia and New Zealand who have had extreme lockdowns are going up. Israel had a Delta surge, started down then surged back up.

This Delta is different.

Our hope is that we will continue down and go into the endemic phase where there are no surges just a lower level of cases. Truth is…we do not know if there will be another surge or not.

Here is a reality check. In the past week, the United States still had the most cases in the whole world. Next is Russia then the United Kingdom and Germany.

So. What to do? Get vaccinated.

Encourage vaccination to all of your loved ones. And continue to follow the advice that keeps you safe. Outdoor events, hand-washing, and masks in crowds.

About Dr. Overman

Dr. Dorothy Overman served as Comal County’s health authority for over 25 years and became the area’s most trusted source for information about COVID-19. She stepped down last November due to workload in her family practice, Hill Country Medical Associates, now Christus Trinity Clinic.

As a consultant to the county, she worked with the Office of Public Health and Texas Department of State Health Services on diseases affecting the community, disease prevention, public education, sheltering of evacuees and disaster preparedness.

She posts regular updates about COVID-19 in Comal County on her Facebook page, New Braunfels COVID19 Community Info, where this article first appeared.