July 22, 2021
You should get vaccinated.
If you are not vaccinated, how many times have you heard that one?
It is a fair question though. Isn’t it?
Given what variants of the Covid-19 virus are out there and that they are potentially lethal, what is stopping you from getting vaccinated?
Maybe we can answer that question.
An associate in our circle of friends, since the onset of the pandemic, refused to get vaccinated. She wore two masks and social distanced herself. She is single and lives alone so, in effect, she quarantines every day. Her reasoning was, if it is not broke, don’t fix it.
What she noticed was, not only did she not get Covid-19, she didn’t catch colds or flus anymore either.
Her plan seemed to be working perfectly.
Then one day she was so busy in thought that she went for a walk and forgot to put her mask on.
It wasn’t until she was about a mile away from home, to her horror, she realized she didn’t have a mask on.
Questions began to swirl in her mind. Unprotected, how many people had she come into contact with? She immediately turned and quickly walked home, staying away from people.
Later that night, she started feel a little sick. It wasn’t her imagination.
She was absolutely terrified. Was one innocent mistake going to kill her? How unfair.
Fortunately the symptoms passed.
Still, it wasn’t lost on her that she could get buried in thought, get distracted and that mistake could happen again and guess what?
It did.
Then she starting paying closer attention to the news and here is what she read and heard.
As reported at reuters.com, “The Delta variant of COVID-19 is now the dominant strain worldwide, accompanied by a surge of deaths around the United States almost entirely among unvaccinated people.”
That last part really got her attention.
The article goes on to state that U.S. cases of COVID-19 are up 70% over the previous week and deaths are up 26%, with outbreaks occurring in parts of the country with low vaccination rates.
The team at sfgate.com educate, “For the first time since early January, COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are on the upswing again, largely driven by the spread of the more contagious delta variant.”
So, apparently not only are people not getting vaccinated, they are living and enjoying life like the pandemic is over.
Big mistake.
Our friend knows that she could make a mistake again and walk somewhere without a mask, catch the virus and die.
Enough is enough.
She researched the vaccines and most important talked to friends and relatives who had already been vaccinated.
The consensus was that most liked the Pfizer vaccine.
Our associate followed through and got vaccinated and felt a great sigh of relief.
Her side effects were minimal.
The rest of San Francisco has a lot of work to do to keep the variant under control and San Francisco Mayor London Breed has a plan.
Please read on.
City Officials Encourage Residents to Get Vaccinated to Combat COVID-19 Variants
Thursday, July 15, 2021
San Francisco, CA — Mayor London N. Breed, Board of Supervisors President Shamann Walton, and the Department of Public Health (DPH) today encouraged residents to get vaccinated as the delta variant of COVID-19 is now the dominant strain in the United States and California. This variant spreads more easily than the original virus and poses new risks to communities in San Francisco. Vaccines continue to be highly effective at preventing severe illness and death. Over the last three weeks, all Bay Area counties have seen at least a doubling of new COVID-19 cases, causing concern that unvaccinated people are more at risk than ever.
“Vaccinating as many people as possible, as soon as possible, is our best defense against COVID-19, the delta variant, and the harm it can do to our communities,” said Mayor Breed. “In particular, the Black community has the lowest vaccination rate compared to the citywide rate, which means more people who are already struggling with significant disparities in this City might get sick. While we beat back three surges in San Francisco, the delta variant brings new challenges that will continue to increase the disparities we see in communities of color. We need everyone to do their part to get vaccinated and encourage their friends and family to do the same.”
San Francisco’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in low case rates and hospitalizations, and relatively high vaccination rates, with 83% of the eligible population with at least one dose and 76% of the eligible population fully vaccinated as of July 13. Over the week ending July 7, for which there is full data, average daily new cases have increased four-fold to 42 new cases/day from a low of 9.9 cases/day on June 19. Forward looking data through July 12 indicates that new cases will increase to at least 73 cases/day, a seven-fold increase since June 19.
“As we have seen since the beginning of the pandemic, COVID-19 infections are not distributed evenly throughout all neighborhoods and communities in San Francisco,” said Dr. Grant Colfax, Director of Public Health. “Our focus and work to achieve vaccine equity and access continues in partnership with the communities that are most impacted. Get vaccinated – hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19 are preventable through vaccines.”
Those who are not yet vaccinated should continue to follow the health precautions that work to help curtail the spread of COVID-19 and to prevent new variants from emerging: wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth when you have to go outside, stay at least 6 feet away from others, when able choose outdoor settings versus indoor, and wash your hands frequently after touching your face or touching shared objects. People who develop or show any symptoms should get tested, even if they are fully vaccinated.
“Bayview Hunters Point is still one of the hardest hit areas with COVID-19 infections, particularly in the African American community. With the new delta variant that is more transmissible, it is critical that our community gets vaccinated as soon as possible,” said Shamann Walton, President of the Board of Supervisors.
San Francisco continues to make vaccines accessible to all residents through sites located in neighborhoods and through mobile vaccine efforts. In the Bayview, the Southeast Health Center (2401 Keith Street) is offering vaccines – no appointment needed – Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9:00am to 7:00pm, and Saturdays from 9:00am to 4:00pm. Vaccines are also available at 1800 Oakdale, with drop-ins available on Fridays and Saturday from 9:30am to 3:00pm. For more information on COVID-19 vaccines, visit sf.gov/getvaccinated.
###
~ ~ ~
OPENING PHOTO fciwomenswrestling.com femcompetitor.com, fcielitecompetitor.com Elina-Fairytale-pexels.com-photo-credit
https://www.fcielitecompetitor.com/
https://fciwomenswrestling.com/