The United States was making great strides combating COVID-19 in the month of May with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lifting all restrictions for anyone vaccinated.
In two short months, the U.S. finds itself stumbling significantly, tripped up by the COVID-19 Delta variant.
While COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations remain low across the country, outbreaks of the Delta variant are exploding at an alarming rate. In southern and central parts of the country, the Delta variant is wreaking havoc on the unvaccinated.
According to U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, 99.5% of the deaths caused by COVID-19 are within the unvaccinated population.
Good Faith Weekly interviewed Dr. Amber Schmidtke this week to discuss the latest spike caused by the COVID-19 Delta variant.
Schmidtke, who previously worked for the CDC, is the division chair of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at St. Mary’s University. She chronicled to Good Faith Weekly how the Delta variant mutated to its current state.
The virus needs a host to thrive. Each time the virus infects a new host, the virus replicates itself. Once the number of hosts dwindles due to natural immunity or vaccination, the virus begins to mutate in order to survive.
One of those mutations is making itself more efficient in infecting hosts. In other words, it changes itself in order to infect more people at a rapid rate in order to survive (tune into tomorrow’s Good Faith Weekly to hear the entire interview).
With another rise in COVID-19 infections caused by the Delta variant and the start of school right around the corner, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that children over the age of 2 wear masks when returning to school.
With the explanation from Schmitdke concerning mutations and children being the largest unvaccinated population to date, the time is now for anyone waiting to get vaccinated to make an appointment to receive the vaccination.
As people who love and care for our family and friends, we must come together to bring an end to this horrible moment in our history.
Many people had genuine concerns when the vaccine first was offered, but now the evidence seems clear. The vaccines work, and they are safe.
With the virus mutating to stay alive and our children vulnerable to future mutations, citizens must set aside our divisions in order to protect our most precious commodity.
When describing the spread of sin into the world, the Apostle Paul recalled the creation narrative of Genesis. He wrote in Roman 5:12, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned.”
The metaphor is a good one. When people choose another path rather than healing and hope, death often follows.
As people of good faith, we possess the power to do the right thing. We can rise above our petty differences to participate in a greater good.
Just as Jesus came to heal the sick, his admirers must follow suit. If we are faithful to his words and mission, then maybe we too will hear these words sooner than later: “Your faith has made you well.”
