The last few months have seen a massive amount of change in regards to living with and around Covid-19 and the subsequent effects that the virus has had. Not only have we had to wear masks and maintain a six foot social distance from one another while in public, but the way that we have interacted, worked, and done many activities has changed drastically as well. Restaurants and pubs have had massive changes to their seating venue, increasing spacing between their chairs and tables where before there was very little so that the seats had at least a six foot distance. Many places also had a change of how many people could sit and interact with one another at once, stopping large parties and families from dining out together. Some stores and areas of business and commerce were forced to adapt or close down, and undoubtedly it was tough for many people, but then the vaccine arrived, and hope began to shine on the horizon.
A few months later and the number of people who have gotten fully vaccinated, which means that they have received either two doses of Pfizer or Moderna, or one dose of Johnson & Johnson, is at forty-six percent, or just under half the populace of America, at least by the morning of June 29th. To reach that point in such a short amount of time is an incredible achievement, but there is trouble brewing. While there have been great strides across the country in stopping coronavirus, especially Covid-19, there are variants, or genetically mutated versions of Covid-19 that have different symptoms and reactions to stimuli. These changes can be small, like an increase or decrease in a symptom that doesn’t change much about the overall danger or transmission rates, or they can be massive. One new variant, called the Delta strain or Delta variant, is one of those bigger mutations from the original Covid-19. This strain can infect people easier, has documented effects of being deadlier to people, and is hardier against the current spread of vaccinations. This means that it will move throughout the country, getting more people sick, and potentially causing more deaths in its time here.
Why is all this important? While the viruses have been mutating and spreading, the number of vaccinations around the country have been slowing down. While we still have half the population either having only one dose or no dose of a vaccine, these variants are still able to grow and mutate in living organisms, potentially gaining deadlier features and symptoms, or their own immunity to vaccines. If we don’t take precautions, get the number of vaccinations up across the country and take care with what we do and who we speak with, it is very likely that Delta coronavirus or another strain could become the dominant version of coronavirus in the country. Already, scientists and experts believe that the Delta variant will have more active cases before the end of the year. All this really means is that when you talk to your friends and family, if you are already vaccinated, take a moment to talk to them, point them to websites and places where they can talk about their worries and fears, and hopefully, grow comfortable enough to get vaccinated themselves. This is the only way that we have for a clear path to normality.