We are in a race between the COVID virus and vaccinations - The Dallas Morning News

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COVID-19 is not over yet. The more contagious delta variant is the dominant strain in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and COVID cases have more than doubled in the past two weeks, according to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Only half of vaccine-eligible individuals over the age of 12 in Dallas and Tarrant counties are fully vaccinated, according to DSHS vaccine dashboard. Teens and young adults have much lower rates of vaccination compared to seniors, per the Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation dashboard. We are far from achieving herd immunity. Health experts at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health estimate that will require at least 70% of the population to be fully vaccinated.

As coronavirus cases begin to pick up again and precautions such as masking and physical distancing are left behind, we are in a race between the virus and vaccinations. The more we give the virus the opportunity to spread from person to person in restaurants, bars, gyms and large gatherings, the more hospitalizations and deaths we will continue to see at our local hospitals.

Fortunately, we have a solution: vaccination. In the month of May, 99% of all deaths in the U.S. from COVID-19 were among unvaccinated individuals, based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data analyzed by the Associated Press.

Even people who have recovered from a previous infection are still recommended to get vaccinated, because the vaccine produces a far more consistent response from the immune system. Relying on people to get infected is a poor alternative to vaccines, and it is not a risk we should take for our patients or loved ones.

We know that the two-dose vaccines available at local pharmacies are effective against preventing severe disease and death from the delta variant, based on the latest research. These vaccines have been safely administered to over 120 million Americans.

Critics will say vaccines are not perfect against the delta variant. That is true. And while it is possible to still get the delta variant after being fully vaccinated, vaccines are very effective at preventing severe disease and death, and that is what matters.

As Sen. John Cornyn recently said, “Getting vaccinated is the fastest way that life can return to normal.” That is particularly true as the delta variant spreads across our area.

Everyone has a role to play in ending this pandemic. It begins with having a conversation. If you are vaccinated, talk to a friend, family member or co-worker today about his or her vaccination journey. Share your vaccine experience and listen to concerns. If someone has specific health questions, encourage a conversation with a family doctor or medical provider as a trusted source of medical information. Every conversation counts and represents an opportunity to save lives.

In our online conversations and engagements, we should have a healthy dose of skepticism about what we hear, see or read on social media. Health misinformation is rampant online, including on Facebook and TikTok, and it can harm your health. Communities of color are often the target of misinformation efforts and 65% of anti-vaccine content can be traced back to 12 snake oil salespeople, labeled the Disinformation Dozen, in a recent report released by the Center for Countering Digital Hate.

Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy recently released an advisory in which he calls limiting the spread of health misinformation “a moral and civic imperative that will require a whole-of-society effort.”

Together, we can do this. We can win the race and bring an end to this pandemic. And it starts with you.

Hussain Lalani is a primary care doctor at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a public health and policy researcher at Harvard. He is also the co-founder of the #ThisIsOurShot Campaign.

Arthur Hong is an internist in Dallas. They wrote this column for The Dallas Morning News.

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