With Covid cases spiking and hospitals full, there are two things we can do to ease the strain on overworked healthcare professionals and help keep our community safer.
First, please get a vaccine booster. You can do this through your doctor’s office, pharmacy, or the Health Department: https://www.calvertcountycovid19.com/vaccination-registration.
The latest data in Calvert, looking at close to 500 people infected with Covid, shows the following in terms of protection from vaccines:
Non-vaccinated people are:
2-times more likely to become infected compared to those who received their initial two dose vaccination but no booster; and
13-times more likely to become infected compared those who were vaccinated and boosted
Vaccinated people without a booster are 6-times more likely to become infected than those who are both vaccinated and boosted
In addition, people who have become sick enough to require hospitalization have almost all been unvaccinated or vaccinated but not boosted. Many national medical experts are now recommending boosters 4-5 months after a second dose of mRNA vaccine or 1-2 months after the single Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Second, consider delaying your January 1st New Year’s celebration to February 1st. That’s the day of the Chinese New Year- Ain’t that a bit of irony! By the end of January, it’s very likely that this surge of Omicron will have significantly declined. February 1st begins the Year of the Tiger. You can get a tiger piñata and express your joy or vent your frustrations. Fill it with whatever seems appropriate to toss out the old and ring in the new.
If you really want to live it up, you can have a different piñata, food, or drink for each variant (United Kingdom for Alpha, South Africa for Beta, Brazil for Gamma, and India for Delta). That sounds like a lot more fun than watching a glitter ball creak its way down a wire at midnight.
Please think about our front-line hospital professionals, EMS, and the staff at your own doctor’s office, all of whom are exhausted at this point. The entire healthcare system is overwhelmed. Last year we saw a greater surge in Covid cases after New Year’s celebrations than we did after Christmas or Thanksgiving get togethers. This time, consider a non-traditional New Year’s celebration in honor of a non-traditional year. Maybe a change in tradition will change our luck in 2022.
The Calvert Health Department staff wish you all a happy and healthy New Year!