Two short months ago, the CDC said if you're fully vaccinated, you can take off your mask and more or less go about your business. But the delta variant of the virus is complicating that return to normalcy.
That is especially so in Arkansas, where just a shade over one third of the population has been fully vaccinated -- meaning that very close to two out of three people you bump into in our state have not gotten the covid vaccination. Not the Pfizer, not the Moderna, not the Johnson & Johnson variety. Nothing.
That situation didn't seem to matter quite as much while the good children -- the one third of the state's residents -- got their shots. Covid numbers kept dropping and life was returning to normal.
Then the delta variant showed up on the scene, as it has in many parts of the word.
At the very least, we know that the delta is much more infectious than the original covid. So right there is your recipe for disaster, and at this writing, things are headed in the very wrong direction.
Almost every day, the state is experiencing 1,000-plus new cases of the virus. If it's not 1,000, it doesn't miss it by much.
A couple of weeks ago, Arkansas was one of a handful of states that, because of our low rate of vaccinations, was considered an epicenter of the spread of the new variant. A few days later, covid guru Anthony Fauci was saying that, even if you're vaccinated, if you live in a state with low vaccination rates, you might want to consider putting your mask back on.
What?
We thought the vaccines provided almost impermeable shields against infection, but that's not the case. Even if you have been vaccinated, you can still test positive for covid.
It's happening today. One's symptoms will likely be less severe, but in many cases, there are symptoms to deal with and the quarantining that goes with testing positive.
Unfortunately, covid and masks and getting vaccinated are still political footballs.
At the recent Conservative Political Action Conference, the audience applauded upon hearing the news that fewer people than hoped had gotten vaccinated. You heard that right.
They were happy that President Biden was falling short of a goal of getting the country vaccinated and not the least bit concerned about the fallout of such a situation, which is that there will be more pain and suffering and death. That's after more than 600,000 people have died from the pandemic.
Yeah! Go Death!
In Tennessee, the state's top health official was fired for doing her job, that being to encourage the public to get vaccinated.
Republican lawmakers apparently felt she had overstepped her authority. We wonder how they feel about safe sex and measles shots and life preservers in boats.
Are they against all life-saving efforts or just the ones that go against their conservative bona fides?
All this to say, as we have said on many occasions, get your shot. Encourage people to get their shot.
Give them rides to wherever shots are given. Talk it up. Show the way.
Some people will never get their shots, with more than a few believing in the inane idea that there's a chip inside for the government to use. But for the rest, sometimes it's just taking the time.
A couple of men who were getting their shots last week at Saracen Casino and Resort, which was hosting a day-long vaccination clinic, said they had wanted to get the vaccination earlier but had just never gotten around to it.
Because of the clinic, those two were there, rolling up their sleeves. Now, 60 more people are protecting themselves and their family.
That's a start. We just need to copy and paste that into existence several thousands of times. It can happen, but we all need to help it along.
In the meantime, wear your mask. They are back in fashion in Arkansas.