Bracing for the delta variant

As Lake County records COVID-19 strain, experts say vaccination is best protection

Lake County has recorded cases of the delta variant of COVID-19 while Porter County hasn’t yet seen cases, health department officials said. But, health experts say the best protection against the variant is getting vaccinated.

Thomas Duszynski, the director of epidemiology education at the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health with Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, said the biggest concern about the COVID-19 delta variant is that it is very contagious. But, the best protection against the variant is getting vaccinated, he said.

“The vaccine is very effective in preventing replication of the virus in a person’s system,” Duszynski said. “The vaccine seems to be fairly effective against the delta variant. We really want people to get vaccinated as quickly as possible because then there’s less of a change of new variants emerging.”

Since March 2020, Lake County has reported 56,615 positive cases and 1,027 COVID19 deaths and Porter County has reported 19,489 positive cases and 327 COVID-19 deaths, according

to the Indiana Department of Health. Statewide, there have been 759,618 positive cases and 13,513 COVID19 deaths, according to the health department.

By nature, viruses mutate and adapt to their environment, Duszynski said. The delta variant of the virus first surfaced in India in December, and “has become a more contagious strain than the other virus stains.”

“That’s the big concern. It doesn’t take as many viral particles for people to get infected. It can move fairly quickly through the population,” Duszynski said. “The delta variant is going to become the dominant variant in the U.S. very quickly.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not yet released data on how many COVID-19 delta cases have been reported in the United States, but individual states have reported the delta strain, Duszynski said.

It’s difficult to know the exact number of cases of the delta variant because people can be asymptomatic and COVID-19 tests don’t always test for the delta variant, Duszynski said.

Health officials don’t always test for the variant because it is costly and time consuming, Duszynski said. When someone takes a COVID-19 test, health officials take the virus and do a DNA sequence on it to determine the variant, which requires staffing and time, he said. What many public health labs do, is take a random sample of the positive tests and sequence viruses to determine the variants, Duszynski said.

But, Duszynski said people should be concerned about the delta variant and COVID-19 still spreading in the community.

“We are seeing increases in hospitalizations, not only in Indiana but across the nation,” Duszynski said. “Now, primarily those are people that not vaccinated.”

The delta variant has been recorded in Lake County, said Lake County Health Department Health Officer Dr. Chandana Vavilala.

“It is here, and it is prevalent,” Vavilala said.

Vavilala, who said Friday there have been eight cases in Lake County, said she is concerned about the variant spreading throughout the county because it “transmits more rapidly” between individuals. Residents should strongly consider getting vaccinated, Vavilala said, because the vaccines protect against the variant.

Some people who have already been infected with COVID-19 have some immunity against the virus, but the vaccine is the best form of protection against the virus and its variant, Vavilala said.

Residents can get either of the three vaccines — Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson — through the health department, Vavilala said.

In Lake County, about 50% of residents are fully vaccinated, Vavilala said.

“We still have ways to go,” Vavilala said. “I am glad 50% of the people are vaccinated, but I want the other 50% of the people to get vaccinated.”

In Porter County, the delta variant has not yet been recorded, but area health officials are anticipating that the variant will emerge soon, said Porter County Health Department Nursing Director Connie Rudd.

But, Rudd said the health department is bracing for the variant to be reported in the county soon.

“People are so mobile. I won’t be surprised when it comes. There’s no doubt in my mind that we’re going to see that sometime in Porter County,” Rudd said.

The measures to protect against the variant are the same as COVID-19: Get vaccinated, wear a mask if not yet vaccinated or in large groups and washing hands, Rudd said.

In Porter County, about 45% of residents are fully vaccinated and about 48% of residents have had their first dose of a two dose shot as of July 13, Rudd said.

Getting vaccinated is the best protection against COVID-19 and its variants, Rudd said.

The majority of the uptick in hospitalizations across the country have been of those who aren’t vaccinated, she said.

The Porter County Health Department is administering vaccines, by appointment, at its facilities in Valparaiso and Portage, sand administrator Letty Zepeda. Nurses have been going to the port to vaccinate crews as boats dock and to businesses, libraries, schools and restaurants to vaccinate residents, Zepeda said.

“We’re just trying to do outreach and to look at those areas where we might find densities of people during the day ... and go there and offer vaccines,” Rudd said.