Delta variant emphasizes need for vaccination

No one likes wearing masks or respirators. As an industrial microbiologist, I wear them to protect myself from chemical and biohazards and am grateful for the protection. As a fully vaccinated person, I had stopped wearing a mask going into restaurants or stores. I live in a county that had had low positivity and case numbers due to vaccination. For a while, the data indicated it was safe for me to be indoors without a face covering.

This is rapidly changing. The Delta variant is causing 83% of new cases in the U.S. What is of extreme concern is that people with the Delta variant have 1,000 times the viral load that the original COVID did. This means that each breath sheds far more virus and viral load is linked to infection rate.

We do know there are breakthrough COVID cases, although the illness is mild in the fully vaccinated unless you are immunocompromised. What we don't know is if the Delta variant is shed by the vaccinated who are asymptomatic or have a mild illness.

I have 5- and 9-year-old grandsons who are not eligible for vaccination and the last thing I want to do is expose them to COVID. Even if I am safe, I could spread the virus to them.

We simply don't have the data yet to determine rates of transmission from break through cases to children.

Please. If you haven't been vaccinated, do so. The hospitalizations are increasing, especially in unvaccinated 20-40 year old age range. In the meantime, wear the mask. Do it for the kids. Hopefully the vaccines will be approved for them this fall.

Linda R Robertson

St. Charles