The Delta variant is coming. Make sure it’s not coming for you.

COVID-19 case counts have been falling. Restrictions have been removed, and the public health emergency is winding down. The COVID-19 vaccine campaign has been a huge success. That has all been in the news … appropriately so … for the last two months. The governor’s emergency order expired June 30, and the Health Commissioner’s emergency restriction expires on July 25. Masks are no longer needed in most places, and life is returning toward normal.

This is all a good thing. The only problem now is that case counts have started to rise again. Not huge numbers, but definitely up. In the last month, the average daily COVID-19 new case count has more than doubled in the Piedmont region and has tripled statewide. Numbers of hospitalizations for COVID-19 have risen abruptly as well. While some would blame this rise on loosening restrictions, there is another factor that is likely involved: the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus.

What’s different about Delta? Is it resistant to the vaccine? Thankfully, the answer to that question seems to be “no.” Delta does, however, seem to be much more contagious than other variants of the virus. That means it spreads more easily between people, so it will be much more efficient at finding individuals who are susceptible, mostly those who have chosen not to be vaccinated. Delta is loose in Great

Britain, and the country’s case count has skyrocketed. We’d like that not to happen here.

What to do? Recognize that if you’re not vaccinated against COVID-19, this more contagious virus is more likely to infect you, even if you’ve managed to avoid it thus far. If you catch it, and you have unvaccinated family or friends, you can pass it on. If those family or friends are elderly or infirm, they may have a bad time of it.

The solution is easy: get the vaccine. You have three to choose from, and they’re widely available, from pharmacies, private doctors’ offices, and the Health Department (see rrhd. org, vaccines.gov, or call 540.308.6072). More than 4.5 million Virginians have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19; of those, 81 have been hospitalized with COVID-19 and 18 have died. Compare this to unvaccinated Virginians, of whom 6900 have been hospitalized with COVID-19 and 2,400 have died. Put another way, 98 percent of the people hospitalized with COVID-19, and 99 percent of those who died with it were, unfortunately, unvaccinated.

At a time when a super-contagious version of this virus appears to be coming on the scene, it is not the time to choose to be in the vulnerable group. Make sure when Delta comes, it’s not coming for you. Get your COVID-19 vaccine now.