Heading into towards the Fourth of July holiday, many residents are celebrating that they have been fully vaccinated and are free to travel again and hang out with family and friends without fear of catching or spreading the virus that causes Covid-19.
However, there is also a potential surge in infections that could happen after the holiday as the area has seen a recent uptick in the number of new cases. After experiencing a period when there were no new cases per day reported in Carroll County, after Memorial Day the county started seeing a couple cases per day and then five one day recently.
“We haven’t had numbers like that in a while,” ECHO Clinic co-founder Dr. Dan Bell, said. “The only people getting sick now are those who are not vaccinated. Hospitalizations have been up this week in Arkansas and the only people getting hospitalized are not vaccinated.”
Arkansas has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country, and only about a third of residents in Northwest Arkansas have been fully vaccinated.
Bell said it’s sad that people are still getting sick, and some dying, from a virus for which there is currently safe, free and readily available vaccines.
“Several families who were not vaccinated got together for Memorial Day and some Covid cases resulted from that,” Bell said. “The point I would want to make is this pandemic is not over. We are in a bit of a lull, but if you look back of last year’s numbers, there was a surge after the Fourth of July. We are poised for that again.”
The Pfizer vaccine is now approved for youths 12 and older and getting them vaccinated means they can go back to school in the fall fully immunized. By vaccinating students 12 years of age and older, half the school kids are protected.
“Most of the kids want to get vaccinated,” Bell said. “They want to be free to be with friends and do things. They want to get rid of the masks. Sometimes their parents are holding them back.”
Bell has concerns that with 65 percent of the population not fully vaccinated, it provides a lot of opportunity for new, more contagious and dangerous variants to find hosts. Even if ten percent have some immunity from a prior Covid infection, that still leaves more than half of Arkansans not immune to the virus.
“So, we’re going to see another surge this fall,” Bell predicts. “It will be less than last year, but a lot of people are going to end up in the hospital and some folks are going to die if they are not vaccinated. The pandemic is not over. It will be back in local waves. It will affect families. It will affect groups of people who spend time together.
“Now is a great time to get vaccinated. There are plenty of vaccines available. For those who have been waiting, now is a good time. About 353 million shots have given in America spread over six months, and we have seen virtually no serious side effects from the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. They are very, very safe. They are safer than flu shots, safer than shingles shots. The way they are designed it is very unlikely there will be long-term effects coming back later. These messenger RNA vaccines are very specific to train the body to attack spikes of protein from the virus that causes Covid. And it looks like the immunity is going to last a long time.”
Bell said some folks who were resistant to vaccinations are now getting it.
“That should encourage others who have waited,” he said. “They can get Pfizer for ages 12 years and over at the Eureka Springs Hospital. Moderna for ages 18 and above is available at Smith Drug Saturdays from 10 to noon. Call ahead to get an appointment.”
Eureka Springs Hospital currently has a supply of Pfizer and is holding clinics about every two weeks. To schedule an appointment, call hospital community liaison Catherine Pappas at (281) 382-0054.
Dr. Joe Thompson, president and CEO, Arkansas Center for Health Improvement, said this virus is present in every community.
“People who either have not had Covid or who have not been vaccinated are completely unprotected,” Thompson said. “If you have not been vaccinated or have had Covid, your immune system does not recognize this virus. And because the variants are more infectious, you may be more at risk than you were before.”
Often groups of people who think alike, like those who oppose vaccination, social distancing and masks, spend time with people who share their beliefs. Thompson said this virus is looking for groups of unprotected individuals.
“All it takes is one person to be infected among a group of unprotected individuals to infect everyone,” he said. “People are relaxing their guard, but it is only the people who are vaccinated who should be safe.”
Thompson said there is no question the majority transmission happening now are variants of Covid-19, not the original one. Variants are both more infectious and potentially more harmful.
Thompson suggests if you have loved ones who haven’t been vaccinated, try to understand their hesitancy. Some people have been misled by false information. Other are concerned that the vaccines contain harmful ingredients, and there are people with religious concerns.
By understanding why the person is hesitant, and bringing them new information about vaccine safety, Thompson believes that eventually most people will consider getting the vaccine.
“The CDC every week is coming out with increasing confidence the vaccine offers protection,” Thompson said. “Nothing is 100 percent, but the vaccine is your best bet against this new threat to your health and wellbeing.”
Some people are also suspicious about discussion of a booster shot being needed at some time. Thompson said it isn’t currently known whether a booster will be beneficial. He thinks it is likely older individuals or individuals whose immune system is compromised may need a booster to keep the protection high.
There are perhaps a few hundred people in Arkansas who were fully vaccinated who still got Covid. But most were asymptomatic, and even for those with symptoms, the vaccine kept them from being hospitalized or dying.
Like Bell, Thompson is concerned that there will be pockets of outbreaks in unvaccinated people where people meet in groups for family reunions, church groups, summer camp, and ball games.
“Where there are high levels of unvaccinated people, that is exactly what this virus is looking for as an opportunity to strike,” Thompson said.