As the Delta variant of Covid-19 continues to spread and this second surge is seeing more and more people sick, hospitalized, and dying, the Covid-19 vaccine is once again, a topic of conversation.

According to the Indiana State Department of Health there have been more than 3500 new positive Covid-19 cases across the Hoosier State. Vanderburgh county is currently (at the time of writing) in the orange and Posey and Warrick Counties are both in the red. To learn more you can visit the ISDH here.

Get our free mobile app

The Whitehouse has just announced that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has a plan to roll out booster vaccines - or third shots - of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines to adults eight months after receiving the second vaccine.

The COVID-19 vaccines are safe, free, and highly effective – but even highly effective vaccines experience a reduction in protection over time. Today the CDC is announcing new planning for booster shots to protect people and families and stay ahead of the curve on COVID-19.

For those of us that got our vaccines back in March and April when they were first rolling out, that will make us eligible for that booster sometime in late November to mid-late December although the first round of boosters are expected to start going out mid-September

The new Delta variant, according to the CDC, is highly contagious - more than two times as contagious as the original strain of Covid-19. They also say that research is showing that for those who are unvaccinated, the Delta variant may cause more severe illness as well. It is also possible for those vaccinated to experience breakthrough cases of the Delta variant. Those who are fully vaccinated and experiencing a breakthrough case can transmit the disease to others, although the infectious period does appear to be shorter for those who have been vaccinated. (This is why masking in public is once again so important.)

So while the vaccine may not protect 100% from contracting the virus it will help to limit the severity of the symptoms and even potentially reduce the need for hospitalization - or worse. If you have been on the fence about getting the first doses of the vaccine, consider this your sign. 

 

More From My WJLT 105.3