SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – In the past few months, the Delta variant of COVID-19 has ravaged India and the UK. There are currently six varieties of worrying, but health officials predict that the delta mutation will become the dominant strain of the virus in the United States this fall. The variant currently accounts for more than 20 percent of COVID-19 infections in the country.
What should I know about the Delta variant?
Experts from the University of Utah Health said vaccines against variants of concern have been shown to be effective. But vaccination rates have declined across the state and across the country, especially among the younger population, even as more vaccinations became available. According to the Utah Department of Health website, just over half of Utah’s eligible population are not fully vaccinated. Utah also ranks among the bottom five states with the lowest vaccination rates.
White House: Biden will miss the 70% vaccination target
From a news point of view, the COVID-19 pandemic presents a daily challenge to information. The daily demand for actionable data often collides with the pace of science. That’s why our team at CW30 News takes a look at where we are in the pandemic every month at 7 p.m. to try to break through the daily onslaught of information and provide perspective. On Wednesday’s show, we took a look at the pandemic with the best information we have right now, what it means and what to look forward to.
Health experts say: “The best way to stay ahead of these variants is to vaccinate”
Brian Cowan, executive director of the Weber-Morgan Department of Health, came to Rosie Nguyen of ABC4 at 7 p.m. on the CW30 News of vaccinating younger people, other populations with low vaccination rates, the general plan to get more people vaccinated, why his opinion after cases have risen lately and what he is most concerned about at this stage of the pandemic.
Dr. Nels Elde, Associate Professor of Human Genetics at the University of Utah, explained what we know so far about the delta variant of COVID-19, how concerned we should be about the mutation, how effective our vaccines are against variants, “fitness “In the virus-immune arms race, trying to balance the evaluation of variants with providing good information to the public, and what he is most concerned about at this stage of the pandemic.
Delta variant is of concern to Utah doctors
Dr. Fred Adler, Professor of Mathematics and Life Sciences at the University of Utah, spoke about mathematical modeling of the nature of the COVID-19 virus. He discussed what factors he used in his modeling, the likelihood that COVID could become the equivalent of a cold, other factors that may affect the outcome for which he has not modeled, how vaccinations go into the models, whether he has the believes new information may influence the decision of those who are already hesitant to vaccinate and where he thinks we might be in the pandemic in the next 10 years.
Data shows that more than 80 children in Salt Lake County have been hospitalized with COVID-19 since March
To see the full IN FOCUS discussion with Cowan, Dr. Elde and Dr. To watch eagles, click the video at the top of the article.
Catch IN FOCUS discussions with Rosie Nguyen of ABC4 on weekdays on the 7pm CW30 news
Rosie Nguyen is an award-winning journalist who joined the ABC4 News team as a reporter in January 2018. In September 2020, at 7 p.m., she started a new trip as a presenter for CW30 News. She continues her passion for social justice and community issues through the nightly “In Focus” discussions.
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