A local health official has confirmed that the fast-spreading COVID-19 delta variant has been detected in Bartholomew County, raising concerns about the highly contagious strain spreading among the unvaccinated during the holiday weekend.
The variant, which was first detected in India, is believed to be about 50% more transmissible than other strains and has already been reported in more than 80 countries, The Associated Press reported.
Currently, at least 196 cases of the delta variant have been detected in Indiana, up from 39 cases two weeks ago, according to the Indiana State Department of Health.
As of Thursday afternoon, there had been more than one case of the delta variant in Bartholomew County, though the precise number of local cases is unknown as not all viral samples are sent to state health officials for sequencing, said Bartholomew County Health Officer Dr. Brian Niedbalski.
Studies suggest that the vaccines used in the United States offer strong protection against the delta variant, but an estimated 54% of Bartholomew County residents were not fully vaccinated as of Wednesday, including about 45% of eligible people, state records show.
Vaccination rates in some surrounding counties are lower, including Jennings County, where 70% of the total population was not fully vaccinated as of Wednesday morning.
“These holiday weekends which involve traveling as well as large gatherings continue to increase my level of anxiety,” Niedbalski said. “I’m hoping we might be past large outbreaks, but the presence of variants keeps me uncertain. These were the times last year when we would see surges four to six weeks after holidays or times of increased travel. I do have hope that our vaccination rates will quell any local outbreaks.”
The concerns from local health officials came as officials in Reno, Nevada confirmed the first U.S. death from the delta variant — an unvaccinated woman in her 40s who had no underlying health conditions, according to wire reports.
The delta variant has been blamed for surges in the United Kingdom and parts of the United States where vaccination rates are lower, including southwestern Missouri, where hospital administrators say bed capacity is strained and “COVID patients are younger, sicker and unvaccinated.”
With nearly half the U.S. population vaccinated, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said about 1,000 counties, mostly in the Midwest and Southeast, with vaccination rates below 30% “are our most vulnerable” to the variant, according to wire reports.
“Any suffering or death from COVID-19 is tragic,” Walensky told the AP. “With vaccines available across the country, the suffering and loss we are now seeing is nearly entirely avoidable.”
Local officials say the best way for people to protect themselves is to get fully vaccinated.
Visit ourshot.in.gov for more information on where to get COVID-19 vaccines.
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Visit ourshot.in.gov for more information on where to get COVID-19 vaccines.
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