It’s been more than a year since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Since then, Livingston County has witnessed roughly 17,000 positive cases and 200 deaths. Through all the sickness and loss, the global medical community has come together like in no other time in history to make strides in understanding how to treat patients stricken with the virus. Along with this improved understanding and experience, we have also developed safe and effective vaccines, giving our community the resources it needs to adequately protect itself. Unfortunately, vaccine hesitancy and staunch opposition to vaccinations in our community mean the pandemic has been prolonged and more of our friends, family and neighbors will likely become sick.
According to statistics from the State of Michigan, Livingston County has vaccinated roughly 100,000 residents above the age of 12 years old. This equates to about 60% of our population, far short of the 70% rate most experts believe is the minimum needed to reach herd immunity. Herd immunity is when we as a community become immune to the virus, making the spread of it from person to person unlikely.
We can’t underscore enough the importance of getting vaccinated. To end this pandemic, we encourage everyone eligible to sign up to get vaccinated as soon as you can. Don’t just do it for yourself, do it for your family and the most vulnerable living in our community. Not only does being vaccinated increase your personal defense against the virus, it collectively improves our community’s defense.
This is an important point to keep in mind, especially as we learn more about Delta variant cases and the growing number of breakthrough infections occurring among those that have already been vaccinated. National data clearly tells the story: Unvaccinated people account for 97 percent of hospitalizations and 99 percent of all COVID-19 deaths. Here in our community, St. Joe’s Livingston is caring for a COVID-19 unit full of mostly unvaccinated patients.
Knowing the realities of the illness and what it can do, when a vaccine became available to health care workers in late December, we ourselves volunteered to get it. When our own families became eligible, we also encouraged them to get vaccinated. We would not have done so if we did not wholeheartedly believe in its effectiveness and safety. The COVID-19 vaccines are the most studied vaccines in the history of medicine, and they have met strict safety criteria as required by the Food and Drug Administration.
Both of us speak from personal experience, having worked in a hospital unit filled with COVID-19-infected patents. More than a year-and-a-half into this pandemic, we once again find ourselves working inside a COVID-19 unit near capacity. COVID-19 is not fake, the severity of the illness has not been exaggerated, and it will not go away on its own. As we hear more reports from around the country of the spread of the Delta variant, a very clear picture has emerged.
The states and the counties with lower vaccine rates are seeing the emergence of another wave of infections. Left in its wake are illness, death and regret.
For those that have not yet been vaccinated, please stand with us, get vaccinated, and help protect our community.
Varsha Moudgal, MD, is an infectious disease expert and the associate chief medical officer of St. Joseph Mercy Livingston. Karla Zarb, RN, is the chief nursing officer and vice president of operations at St. Joseph Mercy Livingston.
