Former head of the Food and Drug Administration [FDA] Scott Gottlieb warned about the new India-originated Delta variant that’s currently ravaging the U.K. and now spreading like wildfire in the United States. .President Joe Biden, 78, also echoed Gottlieb’s assessment, urging all Americans, especially those with vaccine resistance, to get vaccinated at the earliest possible times. Biden’s Covid-19 task force has rolled out vaccines in every community in America, giving national drug chains access to free vaccines to reach rural communities across America. Gottlieb commended the Biden administration for delivering 317 million doses of vaccines but said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] needed a 50-state strategy, to boost vaccinations in certain Southern states. Gottlieb warned that the Delta variant was about 60% more contagious that the original strain.
Gottlieb clarified that the strain does not appear more lethal that the original novel coronavirus AKA SARS CoV-2 but said it was far more contagious, leaving under-vaccinated areas more susceptible. But with more infections comes the very real danger of more deaths because clinics and hospitals do not have reliable treatments, including Regneron’s polyclonal antibodies or Remdesivir’s anti-viral treatment that prevents the virus from replicating. Former President Donald Trump was given antiviral Remdesivir and Regeneron’s polyclonal antibodies Oct. 6, 2020, recovering from a pretty severe case in less than a week. While good treatments exist, they’re not readily available to ordinary citizens, especially in rural areas. So the importance to continued vaccinations is essential in fighting the Delta variant now beginning to spread in unvaccinated populations around the country.
Gottlieb pointed to some Southern states with vaccination rates under 50% compared to certain Northern states like Vermont and Connecticut with rates over 80%. Since the mRNA vaccines, like Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, are about 88% effective with the new Delta variant, states with higher vaccinated rates are more protected. Southern states like Missouri, Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas are more vulnerable to new infections. Gottlieb said on CBS’ “Face The Nation” today that Biden’s Covid-19 team need to figure out better ways to get vaccines to rural Southern states. But beyond logistics, larger African American populations need a concerted PR campaign to encourage resistant citizens to get vaccinate at the earliest possible time. “We need to think about a different vaccine delivery strategy to get the people what are still reluctant or who still face challenges getting into those access sites,” Gottlieb said.
Accessibility is no longer the primary issue why rural Southern states have low vaccination rates. Government health officials need to make an all-out push to sell skeptical African Americans and poor communities the necessary information to make informed decisions. U.S. sports figures like NBA star LeBron James would be the perfect spokesperson to target the African American Community. With Juneteenth, the end of slavery, now a federal holiday, getting the word out to the African American community could make all the differences. “I think the vaccine administration is going to decline over the summer as prevalence declines,” Gottlieb said, urging the Biden White House to make a full-court press in underserved communities. Because current vaccines are 88% effective against the new Delta variant, increasing vaccination rates can offset the spread of the new contagious strain.
With most U.S. states 100% open for business, including California, it’s going to be difficult, no matter what the infection rates, to shut down again. Most citizens are in no mood for more restrictions with most businesses, including supermarkets or big-box stores, ending mask requirements for vaccinated customers. Most businesses are not requiring vaccination cards to gain access without masks. Getting more people vaccinated is the best way to reach “herd immunity” where there’s enough antibodies circulating in citizens to ward off infections. “When we look across the United States, we see wide variances in terms of vaccination rates. Some states like Vermont and Connecticut have very high vaccination rates about 80%. Other states are struggling to get to 50%,” Gottlieb said. U.S. public health officials must coordinate new public service announcements in low vaccinated states.
Getting the word out in public service announcements is the best way to reach underserved populations still struggling with vaccine resistance. Certain populations, for whatever reason, have a natural reluctance to let the government inject them with a foreign substance. But with the vaccines thoroughly vetted for safety, certain skeptical groups need to get over their fears and do what’s best for good of the country. It does no one any good to stay unvaccinated and vulnerable to get the Delta variant infection. There’s enough people getting infected who’ve been single or double-vaccinated already than letting large numbers of citizens remain unvaccinated. Public service announcements should include familiar faces capable to break through resistance to take the jab for themselves, their families and communities. There’s simply no excuse now not to get vaccinated.
